Everything Changes
by Maxy93
Summary: Life is good at the prison for our survivors. There is a baby on the way. There is food, water, shelter, and love. Life is the best it has been in a long time, but Kelly Grimes is still apprehensive about getting too comfortable. If there is something she has learned is that whenever things are up, that's when they fall the hardest. Sequel to Nothing Ever Lasts.
1. Chapter One: Mellow Day

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

BAM! New story! Enjoy a typical and short first chapter! Pretty please review and let me know how the first chapter went!

* * *

Chapter One: Mellow Day

"You get one more week." Hershel says as he pulls the too familiar blood pressure cuff from my arm. "If this little one isn't here by then we'll try to induce labor with all the tricks, and if that doesn't work we'll do a c-section."

"I'm willing to start with the tricks right now." I say as I swing my swollen feet off the side of the table. "I'm sick of this."

"Gonna give the baby an extra week, just incase we've miss-counted the weeks."

"If we miss-counted I will be shocked. I don't think I can get any bigger."

"You'd be surprised." Hershel helps me off the table and I follow him out the door.

"How are Judith's theeth doing?"

"Better since that medicen got brought back. She back to being into everything now."

"She's one. If you think she's bad you should have seen Carl."  
"You should have seen Maggie. One day, just a few weeks after she got comfortable on her legs, she walked right out the front door. Her mother yelled at me from the front yard saying she couldn't find her. Well, we searched all over the house and the porch, and I eventually found her, you wanna know where?"

"Sure."

"Under the front steps, playing in the mud with the dog."

* * *

I walked Hershel to the library where the council was having another meeting. It was late spring or early summer, or I could be off entirely on the time. But it was hot and runs were happening again. I smiled at Daryl through the door before I set off in search of my brother. I waddled down the steps and into the hot Georgia sun. Sure enough, Rick and Carl were down by the pigs and the crops.

Those two had finally gotten their relationship back on track. In so many ways Rick putting his gun down was the best thing for him and his son. But there were days where I missed the feeling of sureness I always felt when Rick was calling the shots. I didn't like the Carol had more say in the running of the prison than Rick. But that could just be my personal feelings getting in the way of logic, putting the gun and the leader role aside has been good for my brother.

There were a few people patrolling the fence line. We kept people on it almost constantly since an incident we had about a few months ago where we had a huge build up and they weakened several spots along the fencing. After that not only did the council add more people to the fence, but we put an evacuation plan in place. A way to get everyone and a lot of supplies out in case the prison fell. We had surprise drills every now and then. But since I'm the size of a barn I have been exempt from the last two. I was glad we had the plan in place, but I prayed we wouldn't have to use it. If we lost the prison I don't think I could go on. That winter on the road after we lost the farm had been bad enough, but now I had a baby. I couldn't survive that again.

"Still got the bun in the oven huh?" Ty calls at me from the fence line.

"Unfortunately!"

"Eat some pineapple. That's what my momma did when Sasha was over-due."

"Go find me some!" I yell back. He goes back to walking the fence and I go over to where Rick and Carl are washing the pigs. "Isn't that a waste of water?"

"Gotta keep 'em clean if we plan on eating them later. Don't want to risk anything with the meat." Rick says as he releases one of the pigs who immediately rolls back in the mud.

"I don't think Edgar liked his bath."

"Dad just got done yelling at me 'cause I use their names." Carl says as he tosses his rag on the ground.

"Their not piglets anymore. Don't get attached."

"Like you did to that fish when we went to the Great Lakes?" I ask crossing my arms on top of my stomach.

"Yah!" Carl says with a smile. "What did he call it…Anderson!"

"That was different." Rick defends himself.

"Not really, dad told us we were fishing for dinner."

"At least I caught something." Rick says splashing water at me.

There have been more times like this between us lately. The three of us being able to laugh and be silly. We even talk about Lori now without Rick getting that haunted look in his eyes. I never want to see that again. The way he was after Lori died was horrible. "So what's on the agenda today?" I ask when they wash the last pig.

"Nothing today, that I know of anyway. Tomorrow is the big run to that store Daryl saw when he brought Bob in." Rick says as he wraps his arm around me and leads me back towards the prison. He doesn't let me stay on my feet too long. Its rather annoying, but today I'm too tired to argue.

"Daryl told me the place was over-ran."

"Glenn and Frank fixed up a boom-box." Carl says. "Dad, can I go?"

"Sure, I'll get you later." We watch as Carl walks off.

Rick and I get to the pavilion and he sets me down at a table before he goes and gets us some water. "He's doing so much better." I say when Rick sits back down.

"I know. He's almost like he should be. But I think I let him get too far. He never should have gotten to that point."

"It's not your fault Rick."

"Yes it is. I lost sight of what was important. I forgot about my son."

"But your making up for it now." I say taking a drink of my water. "Has Merle gotten back from hunting yet?"

"No, and you wont see him until the sun goes down. After he was cooped up for so long, because of you, he got cabin fever something bad."

"I told him to leave the bookshelf alone. He insisted."

"I'm just glad he didn't break his leg. That would have been the last thing we needed was a broken Merle Dixon."

"You shoulda see him when he broke his wrist when I was a kid. He bitched for a month."

Daryl tosses his bow and rope on the table in front of us. "Meeting over dear?" I ask looking up at him.

"Was no big thing. Just going over assignments for tomorrow."

"And let me guess, you put yourself on the run group."

"Don't I always." He says as he takes my cup and drinks all of my water. "What did Hershel say about my kid?"

"Has a week to make itself known before he starts taking action. While you're out tomorrow get pineapple and anything spicy."

"Black licorice too." Rick adds. "That's what Lori ate with Carl."

"That stuff is gross." I say making a face.

"Saw in a movie that sex helps too." Daryl says with a grin.

"You just stick to the pineapple and spicy food buddy." Rick says standing up. "Are you gonna teach today?" he asks me.

"No, I will tomorrow when they're out on the run. It'll keep my mind off it."

"Okay, see you later." He looks up at Daryl. "Be safe out there." Then he walk back down towards the crops.

"Maybe we should pick him up some overalls." Daryl says as he slings all his stuff over his back.

"When will you be back?"

"Before the sun goes down."

"I'll walk you down." I say moving to stand up.

"No, you need to rest. I won't feel like rubbing your huge feet tonight."

"It's your fault." I say back. He smiles and gives me a quick kiss.

"Stay away from D. Carter moved back there." I tell him I will and he walks down the hill towards the doors.

Of course the ass moved back into D block. E block was too far away from most of the population, he couldn't annoy people if he lived there. I still don't know what happened between Merle and Carter while Daryl and I were gone on our hooky date, but ever since that day Carter has kept his distance. And Merle wasn't telling me what he did either. Too bad Carol was a different story. I swear that woman could not take a hint. She didn't mess with me or Daryl directly, but I think she used her place on the council as a way to try to get close to him again. Only this time Daryl was using his head and was brushing her off each time. But I still saw red if I saw them talking together.

* * *

I stood up and went back inside the prison. I needed to give Beth a break and play with my niece. She had to be a year old by now and Beth and I were so close to getting her to walk on her own. She did okay if you held her hands, but she needed to do it alone. Plus I told her I would take her to see Lori today. I know Judith didn't know or would remember these trips until she was older. But I loved taking her down to the crosses. I'd let her crawl around and play while I told her stories about her mother. Just like why Carl fought to bring back a picture of Lori so Judith would know what her mother looked like, I wanted Judith to know who her mother was.

I got Judith to walk about half way to the crosses before she sat down and I had to pick her up. Not an easy feat with a huge middle. I told Judith about the time Lori and I got stranded on the side of the road on a Black Friday when Carl was two. Rick had been so mad because he had to get out of bed with a two-year-old at four in the morning to save us. Shane then taught Lori and I some basic mechanics after Rick complained about the experience for a week after the face.

"You should have seen your daddy's face when he got to us. He was in his Pepsi pajamas and his Falcons t-shirt. He was fuming, or as much as your daddy can fume." Judith could careless about the story since bugs were flying across the grass, but this was my favorite thing to do these days. It helped me bond with my niece and it kept me busy. I wasn't able or allowed to do too much these days. And I was usually board over half the time.

When I got too hot outside I grabbed Judith and took her back inside where we played together until she needed a nap. I needed one too. So we cuddled up on my bed and fell asleep. A soft breeze from a tiny battery powered fan that Glenn had found me on a run was blowing across my sweaty skin, the sound helping me fall asleep.

When I woke up Judith was gone. I guess I had overslept her nap time. I got out of bed and headed outside. The sun was lower in the sky, but I knew not to expect Daryl back anytime soon. There was still a few more hours of daylight left. Or that's what I thought. When I stepped outside Merle was up and moving all over the pavilion area. And if Merle was back, Daryl was too. A quick whiff of the air and I figured out why they were back to early, they had gotten a deer. "About time you shot something good." I say when Merle moves within ear shot.

"And its past time for you to pop out my nephew!" He says back as he walks over to me. "I'm sick of waiting on you."

"Your hands are filthy, go wash yourself."

"Daryl is in the shower right now."

"There is more than one stall now."

"But he likes to sing while he showers." Merle says as he gets distracted by a woman who I think was named Ashley, but I could be wrong. I was bad with names before, but I was worse now.

"Are you seriously going to oggle a woman while you're in the middle of a conversation with me?"

"Sure am. I brought back food. I'm a hero. She should be willing to show me some gratitude."

"Ew." I say smacking him on the shoulder. "You are the nastiest person alive. You know that right?"

He just shrugs and walks off in the direction Ashley walked off in. I shake my head and walk over to the water cooler. It's hot from the heat, but at least we have a supply of it, so I don't complain. It's been so long since I've had a cool drink my tongue would probably jump out of my mouth if I had one. I sit down across from Ty and Karen. One of my new favorite hobbies was messing with Ty about him newly forming relationship. For all his big muscles and tallness, Ty was a big teddy bear who was very awkward around women. Especially women that he had crushes on.

* * *

The rest of the evening passes peacefully. Daryl, Ty, Karen, and I played cards and ate some deer until it got dark and we all had to go inside and get some sleep. Today was a pretty mellow day. But tomorrow would be stressful for me. I always had anxiety when Daryl went out on runs, but I was worse these days. The thought have having the baby while he was out was scary, and the thought that he could die while on a run and leave me alone with the baby was unthinkable. But staying true to our promises to each other, I told Daryl about my fears and he did what he could to help. But nothing but him being with me at the prison would put them to rest.

But I know I can't be selfish with this. The prison depended on the runs. With Michonne gone and Rick in retirement, Daryl was one of the best. Glenn was in charge of his own running group, but he had been spending a lot of time glued to Maggie's side lately. I had a feeling something was up with them. But Maggie hadn't said anything, and I wasn't going to meddle. I had my own problems to worry about and Maggie would tell me if something was up. She was, without a doubt, the best friend I have ever had.

"How are you feeling?" Daryl asks as he sits down on the bed beside me and pulls off his shoes.

"My feet are sore again. But other than that I'm okay. Just so tired."

"I'll pick up all that stuff tomorrow for you." He says as he pulls his shirt off and tosses it on the floor.

"You're picking that up in the morning." I say as I lay down and stretch my legs out.

"If you can bend over and pick Judith up, you can pick up a shirt." Daryl says as he grabs one of my feet and starts rubbing my ankles.

"Thank you." I say as the pain starts to melt away.

"We need to talk about names again." Daryl says as he starts to rub my other ankle.

"I think we should wait and make sure."

"Kelly, the baby is fine. She's moving around, kicking. Your blood pressure is back down to normal. You and the baby are healthy. I think we're safe enough to pick out a name."

"I just….I want to make sure that the baby will be okay. If the baby doesn't make it….I cant risk what a name might add to it. Right now, the baby is a possibility, and a name might make it more."

"I don't think the baby can get more "real" sweetie. But I get it."

Daryl moves my foot off his lap and he crawls in bed next to me. It's too hot for covers, but the heat doesn't stop him from wrapping his arms around me. His fingers brushing over my middle. "But at the same time, if something happens to you, I want to know a name you like."

"Daryl I'll be dead. I won't care."

"But I'd care. Kelly, if something happens to you…lets just say I've been there before, where I thought you were gone. And what I felt was unbearable. And I know that it would be worse now. And anything I can do if that happens might help me. And knowing a name you like could help me."

"I'll let you know. Let's get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

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	2. Chapter Two: Facing Reality

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

Wow! You all just blew me away! 40 favorites and 57 followers for the first chapter alone! You all are amazing!

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **doctor chocolate thunder, HermioneandMarcus, Smoshlover103, sweetkiwi604, Katelyn5, Dean Winchester's Play Thing, DarylDixon'sLover, mrskaz453, WhisperedL0v3, and mattsey22

* * *

Chapter Two: Facing Reality

The bright sun cast a blinding glare along the fence line. Daryl and I were walking up the hill. I kept glancing back at the fence line, my mind telling me to go back, telling me to stay close. But Rick and several other people were by the fence line, there was nothing to worry about. But I still kept glancing back. I could see small figures running around in the tall grass, giggles softly drifted back to my ears and I told myself everything was okay. The kids were under observation and Daryl and I were going to have some alone time. Everything felt fine, except the nagging that was pricking my brain. But I brushed it off.

"Mamma!" a happy voice hits my ears.

I stop in my steps and tilt my head, what had I just heard?

"Mamma!" still happy.

"It's just tiny." Daryl says beside me. But he sounded….different. Almost wrong.

"Mamma!" the voice cried again, only this time it's filled with fear and panic. I turn around and the sun is gone, the yells of "walkers by the fence" echo across the over-grown yard. The voice that was calling "mamma" is screaming in pain. My eyes fall on a tiny child in blue jeans who was being torn into by a walker. I scream ripped from my throat as I ran towards my baby.

* * *

I sat bolt up in bed, my chest heaving and my head pounding. Daryl was immediately up beside me. One hand on my back and the other flipping on the camping lantern that hung above our bed.

"Kelly, it's okay. Breathe baby. It was just a dream." I was hot and shaking. I kicked the sheet I didn't remember falling asleep under off and away from me. I put my hand on my throat and feel cold sweat at the base. Daryl rubs my back until I calm down.

As my heart rate returns to normal he doesn't say a thing. He just does what he does every night since the nightmares came. He gets me a drink and hands me a damp rag. I drink all the water and wipe my face. Daryl goes to tell anyone who I might have woken up that I'm okay. By the time he gets back I've calmed down from the dream, but I'm overwhelmed with the lasting impact of having so many for so long.

Daryl climbs back into bed and pulls me against him. "Was it the same one?" he asks quietly.

"Same ending. Our baby gets ripped apart." I close my eyes and suck in a shaking breath. "God, when will they stop?"

"Everyone says when the baby comes. When you will be able to see and control the situation. Bob told you about some of his past patients. Nightmares are how you're dealing with the stress of the unknown."

"I'm just so tired of them Daryl. I don't want to do this anymore."

"I know."

It sucked that that was all he said, but I knew it was all he could say. As I entered my third trimester I started having nightmares again, very similar to the ones I had after we left the farm, the ones I had about Shane. But I couldn't deal with these the way I had with those. My body wouldn't let me just stay awake to avoid them.

The first few I had brushed off, but when they kept coming I confided in Hershel. He talked to the other doctors we now had and they all reached a conscience on what was probably wrong. And I hoped they were right about when they would go away. "Rick is up; do I need to get him?"

"Not this time." I say shaking my head. "You're all I need."

I just lay in his arms and tried to erase the nightmare from my mind. The hardest thing to let go was the screams. The sounds the child always makes when it is being eaten alive. All the dreams were different in the beginning; the child was usually always a different age, never getting older than Carl. And in each dream I could never see the child's gender, but I always knew the child was mine. And at the end of each dream the child was always killed by a walker.

"What time is it?" I ask after we sat in silence for a little while.

"Still dark. You want to try to get some more sleep?" I shake my head no. I didn't want another nightmare to be stuck in my head.

"But you can sleep. You need to be rested for the run."

"I'm fine." Is all he says. He doesn't reach to turn off the light, he doest even scoot lower into the bed. He just stays leaning against the wall, his arms wrapped tight around me.

We fall back into silence. Several times Daryl falls asleep by accident before he jerks himself awake. I tell him I would try to sleep after all, but all I do is lay awake beside him as his snores fill the air. As terrifying as my nightmares were, I was glad I wasn't the only one having them. Maggie and Karen were having them too. So were several other former Woodbury citizens. We all assumed it was because none of us really dealt with our individual traumas. Maggie was almost molested; Karen was the lone survivor to the Governor's rampage. It seemed that the closer we came to normalcy, the more out human issues came to the surface. Because we weren't constantly running or fighting to survive, our minds were finally catching up with our bodies. And we were being forced to deal with what we had just pushed aside.

And frankly it sucked. More than once poor Daryl had fallen asleep by accident and I would go sit outside and look at the sky and try to organize my thoughts. I had been joined by other people several times in the past. We had all suffered and we could help each other. That was the only way we could totally heal from all we had lost and all we could still loose.

The dawn broke and I lay still while Daryl rolled out of bed. I needed him to think I had slept so he wouldn't feel guilty he fell asleep. I waited until he sat back down on the bed to tie his shoes before I rolled over and pretended that I had just woken up. "Hey." I say as I stretch my arms over my head.

"Hey, did you sleep okay?" I just nod and I push myself up.

"When are you heading out?"

"After breakfast. Gotta eat the rest of that deer before it goes bad."

"I need to get out there then." I say trying to scoot off the bed.

"No." Daryl says stopping my movement. "After last night I want you to just relax. Stuff like that isn't good for the baby." He rubs my belly as he talks. "And as excited as I am to meet her, you are not allowed to go into labor while I am gone."

"Well I have no control over that. And like I keep telling you, keep calling the baby a girl and you're gonna jinx yourself and we're gonna have a boy."

"Nope, we're having a girl." He says with a smile as he stands up. I scoot off the bed after him and he bends down and grabs me my clothes for the day.

"Merle wants a boy."

"Don't matter what Merle wants. Matters what I want." He says kissing me before he heads out of the cell. I go to the showers.

* * *

I feel much better after my shower and after I toss my dirty clothes in the general direction of our cell I head outside for food. Patrick is at the stove and the smell turns my stomach. I had had a problem with strong smells early in the morning all pregnancy, so I just grabbed some water and a granola bar from the food box. The pavilion is really empty this early in the morning, but when I stop and listen the unmistakable sound of walkers in saturating the usually calm morning. The fence-line is covered in walkers on one side and our people on the other.

I head off in the general direction looking for Daryl or Merle or my brother. I spot Merle and Rick down by the fence, Merle killing walkers and Rick being a farmer with Carl. "-unless we get ahead of it, not for long." I roll my eyes as Carol voice drifts over; I turn and see her and Daryl to my left. My eyes widen when I see her nudge him with her elbow and call him pookie, but a huge smile crosses my lips when I hear him tell her to shut up.

Daryl walks over to me and I grab his arm and kiss him. "Thank you." I say with a smile.

"No problem. Wanna watch me pack the vehicles?"

"Anything to be with you pookie." I say with a mocking tone.

"I'm gonna tell you the same thing you call me that again." He wraps his arm around my shoulders and we head over to where the cars are parked.

"Who is all going with you today?"

"Zack, Glenn, Sasha, and Tyreese."

"No Maggie?"

"Glenn said she wasn't feeling up to going. And with Tyreese going we don't need her."

I sit on Daryl's bike and watch him and everyone load up the vehicles, fill the gas tanks, check the oil and tires, all the stuff they do before they head out. Beth and Zack had a cute little moment. "Okay, are you gonna say good-bye?" Zack asks after they smooch again. But Beth just walks away with a smile on her face.

"Nope." Daryl walks by with his arms full of stuff.

"It's like a damn romance novel." He grumbles.

"Like you're not living one with the sheriff's sister." Zack says back to Daryl.

They finish up the packing when Bob walks up. "Hey. I'd like to start pulling my weight around here."

"Bob, it's only been two weeks." Sasha says. She didn't like deviations from anything from what I have gathered.

"That's two weeks worth of meals, a roof over my head. Let me earn my keep."

"You were out on your own when Daryl found you. I just want to make sure you know how to play on a team." Sasha says, stepping around the car door.

"We ain't gonna do it unless it's easy." Daryl says walking over to his bike.

"You better not be doing anything that isn't easy." I say getting off his bike.

"You know he was a medic in the Army." Glenn says, and that gets Sasha to agree. I kiss Daryl and watch them drive off.

"Don't forget my pineapple!" I yell after them. They stop at the bottom so Daryl could talk to Rick. I was excited to see that Michonne rode through the gate, but then she got in the car and I was disappointed that I had to wait longer to talk to her.

* * *

I go back to the pavilion and sit down. It was getting hot again and I was tired and my feet were sore. I needed to go round up the kids for school, but I just couldn't find the energy at the moment to do it. "Kelly?" I closer my eyes and clench my jaw. Speaking of an energy suck.

"Yes Carol." I say not turning to look at her. This was the first time she had spoken to me in a few weeks.

"Were you planning on teaching today?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I didn't get to do story time yesterday, so I was wondering if I could do it today." I turned and looked at her. Part of me didn't want to let her out of spite, but I wasn't feeling up to teaching anyway. So I told her she could. Then she just walked away without so much as a thank you. I tossed some trash at her back but I missed by a mile. She didn't even notice and she kept walking.

"Damn girl, no wonder she doesn't like you, you keep throwing stuff at her."

"Morning Merle." I say as he sits down beside me. He's covered in walker blood splatter. "Did you not listen to me last night when I told you to take a shower?"

"I had to sport proof to Ms. Ashley that I brought back dinner. Didn't have time this morning."

"Ew, will you please not talk about your sex life."

"Turns you green with envy don't it." He says with a wink.

"You are so gross." I say as I toss my empty cup at him. Rick walks up the hill. "Hey brother, what's up?"

"I'm gonna go check the snares. Just wanted to let you know."

"Are you gonna take anyone with you?"

"It's just snares, right outside the fence."

"Okay. Just be safe." Rick kisses my head before he heads back down the yard.

Merle watches him as he goes. "He looks tense."

"I know. He's looked that way since he stopped being in charge. I think all he's done is coming back. But I know that him just working is helping him, giving him a chance to just think about his problems and try to figure them out."

"He just needs to make sure his past doesn't consume him. When it happens it's a hard thing to get over." Merle says as he stands up. He pats my back and walks away. It's a very interesting thing to me to look back on my first meeting with Merle and how much he scared me to how we are now. Merle was a pain in the ass and was always in trouble, but he had a good heart, you just had to look past the gruff to see it.

* * *

The sun gets lower and Rick makes it back. The snare trip took him longer than I thought it would, but he said he was fine and he looked okay. He went right back to work with the animals and I started cooking dinner. I was cooking up the rabbit meat when Maggie came over. "Hey."

"Hey, Glenn said you weren't feeling good this morning. You better?"

"I wasn't really sick. Glenn was just worried."

"That's not like him. What's up?"

"What made you think you were pregnant?" she asks and I drop my spoon.

"Crap." I say trying to pick up the spoon. Maggie just handed me a new one and tossed the dirty one in the dish tubs.

I stir the meat around before I look up at her. "You think you're pregnant?"

"I don't know, maybe. I'm late, and we had a condom break four weeks ago."

"At least you tried to be safe." I say under my breath.

"Kelly this is serious."

"I know, I'm sorry." I sigh and toss some seasoning on the meat. "I was just really sick. I was never very regular so being late wasn't unusual for me. I was nauseated and had headaches. Do you think there is a possibility?"

"I don't know. The moment it broke we stopped. But I'm still…not worried…but…"

"I understand. I think there is an extra test in the infirmary."

"I don't want to waste that yet. I think I'll wait a few more days."

"Watch it; your period will come when my baby comes."

"Is daddy getting worried?"

"No, he gave me a week. But I'm hoping I don't have to wait that long. I'm tired of being a blimp."

"It's been a while since I've seen a blimp, but I'm pretty sure you don't look like one."

* * *

Maggie goes back up to the prison after a few minutes and I stay and finish dinner. I eat with Rick and toss the leftovers in several different bowls for everyone on the run. I spend some time with Judith and play cards with Carl and Rick before I decide to go to bed. I'm turning in earlier than normal, but after last night I was dead on my feet. I changed into some comfy clothes, grabbed one of the many baby books that had been brought to me, and crawl into bed. I didn't get three pages in until the sounds of Daryl's bike rumbled through the yard. I just sat and continued reading.

But the longer I sat and he wasn't showing up I got a bad feeling in the pit of my belly. Last time he lingered after a run was a month ago when we had lost Charles and Annie. I put my book down and climbed out of bed. I stepped out on the platform and I heard Daryl below me. "-tired of losing people is all." I lowered my head and there was a small pause in the conversation Daryl was having. When Beth's voice drifted up I had to wipe my eyes. We had lost Zack.

"I'm glad I didn't say good-bye. I hate good-byes."

"Me too."

I went back to the cell and sat on the bed until Daryl came through the door. I immediately stood up and took his bow and vest. I handed him clean clothes and took his hand and lead him to the shower. While he washed I took his dirty clothes and put them in our laundry hamper. I went and got his dinner and some water and brought them to the cell. As he ate I sat behind him and rubbed his tense shoulders. He was taking loosing people more to heart now than he did. Loosing one of our own had always hurt Daryl, but now that we were actually living a good life, deaths hurt him even worse.

"The roof fell in, walkers everywhere. He got lost trying to save Bob. He was stuck under a shelf that fell on him."

"I'm so sorry Daryl." I say wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him. He just sighs and rests his head against mine.

"I can't wait until the runs stop. I don't want to do this anymore."

"I know."

"It's not just that we could get hurt, it's me not knowing how you are. I was worried all day about you."

"I'm fine, I was perfectly fine."

"But you could have had the baby while I was gone. What we have to do here is hardly good, some of the things we just do, like its no big thing, are bad things. You having the baby will be a good thing. And I refuse to miss so big of a good thing."

Daryl turns and gets into bed. I curl up beside him. "You know how you wanted me to think of names?"

"Yea."

"What do you think of Dale? As a middle name."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I've been torn between whether I should use the any of the people we've lost, but before the walkers people did it all the time. Dale was so wonderful and we all let him down the day he died. I think it's a good way to honor his memory."

"Ok, if it's a boy his name will be Dale."

"Actually, I want Dale to be the middle name. That way we can use it no matter what we have."

"Okay, middle name is Dale." He rubs my middle. "Do you like that? Huh?"

I pull the sheet up over us both, I can hear the whispered conversations on the lower level, but the way the words softly echo off the cold walls is like white noise and I close my eyes and very quickly fall asleep. Tomorrow would be a good day. There would be no runs and Michonne was back. Hopefully since she was here I might have the baby. I wanted her here when the baby was born too. I wanted my whole family here. It was us who made this place safe enough for me to have even a low level of confidence that I could deliver safely. So they all deserved to be a part of my baby's life from its first breath.

* * *

Note: Yay for chapter one being an amazing success. To all my readers I give an infinite number of thanks! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

And before anyone tells me, yes I know in the episode Bob was only there for one week, but I needed him there for two.

Last chance to get in on the baby gender poll

Pretty Please Review!


	3. Chapter Three: Not Now

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **Ryan1441, Lilith, Dalonega Noquisi, PrincessPipi, fangfiction6499, Guest, runawaycherry93, sweetkiwi604, Dean Winchester's Play Thing, kyolover16, and mrskaz453.

**Thank You to the **44 favorites and 65 followers

* * *

Chapter Three: Not Now

I managed to wake up without screaming. And I was guessing Daryl was too tired to notice if I moved around a lot. The light first rays of light were peaking through the bars, but Daryl was still fast asleep. Yesterday had taken a lot out of him; he would probably sleep in a little later than normal. But he deserved it, everyone who went on that run yesterday deserved a few more peaceful hours of sleep. I carefully and slowly made my way over him and to the floor. I changed and laid out some clothes for Daryl before I walked out the door. I yawned as I headed down the steps. I was not surprised at all to see Rick walking around with Judith.

"She's getting big." I say as I walk over to them and kiss my niece.

"Getting ornery too. How'd you sleep?" he asks looking at me closely.

"Pretty good. And since I didn't wake everyone up I think last night was a success."

"Any dreams?"

"Not any that I remember." The shrill alarm clock that signaled the start of the day went off. Rick handed me Judith as he went to go wake up Carl. "What are you doing pretty girl? Huh? Did you keep daddy up last night?" all I get back is some baby babble. I go over to the bin where her toys are and I grab a few cups and take her outside to get breakfast going.

I drop Judith down in her play pin and drop her cups and her bottle in after her. I dig through the box full of food and I settle on making some more pancakes. Rick and Hershel had picked a bunch of berries and they were awesome with pancakes. I get the first batch done just when Michonne walks out. "Hey, glad you're back." I say, pointing to the stack of pancakes.

"I'm leaving today."

"Why? You just got back?"

"I'm going to look in Macon."

"That didn't answer my question. Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Because Macon is so far away." I slam the spatula down with a huff.

"No, I want to know why you are going out there to find him! I get what he did was horrible, and I understand, almost better than anybody, how big of a dangerous psycho his he. But you don't see me gallivanting out into walker-land to find him. I want to know why you feel the need to go."

Michonne says nothing; she just bites into the pancake and looks at me. I sigh and walk around the grill and stand beside her. "Michonne, I'm sorry about what he did to Andrea. I'm sorry about what he did to you. But we beat him. He doesn't have a group, he doesn't have a town. He's not coming back. And you need to stay here." She still doesn't say anything; I shake my head and walk back towards the prison. I pass Carol on the way and tell her that I started pancakes.

I don't get far from the pavilion before Rick and Carl come by. "There are some pancakes on the table." I say as I walk by them, but Rick stops me as I try to walk by.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Michonne was driving me crazy." I say looking back at where she is over by the horse.

"She's leaving already?" Carl asks.

"I guess. And she's going all the way to Macon to boot."

"It's her call." Rick says. "You can't do anything about it."

"I know, but I can still be annoyed with her. She's just being stupid." I look down at Carl, "I'm having class today, do your chores and eat then come to class."

"He's just going to help me feed the pigs then he'll be down. I nod then walk away from them.

I walk into C block and see that everyone is up. I tell Beth that Judith was outside and Hershel tells me he wants to have another check-up. "I haven't had class in three days, I'm gonna teach today. So afterwards?"

"Okay, but you don't teach on your feet. Understand?"

"Yes sir. Is Daryl up?"

"Heard all the weird noises, so I'd say so."

"Okay, tell him where I'm at, I gotta get the kids up and fed before we have class."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I just have to tell Patrick and he'll tell everyone for me. See ya this afternoon."

* * *

The hallway between C and D was empty, but it was obvious from the sounds in the hallway that they were up. Good, then getting the kids around wouldn't be that hard.

*bang bang*

I freeze as the sound of a gun shots fills the air. It came from D block. Part of my brain told me to back away, but the other part told me to go see what was going on. The closer I got the more screams I heard, and when I pushed open the gate to the block it was chaos.

It takes my brain several seconds to see what was happening. Somehow walkers had gotten in the block. Another gun blast shakes me out of the stupor. I see terrified people blocking the upper platforms. I yell up at them to leave, the block. "Ms. Kelly!" I turn and see Lizzie and Mika in a corner, a walker headed towards them. I grab one of the chairs that are around a tiny table and move over to where they were; I knock it down and yell at the girls to get out. I barley see them run past me before Carter comes barreling out of a cell, tripping over a body on the ground. In the short time I've known him; I have never seen his face contorted in that much fear. His eyes were wide and he was yelling.

I stomp on the chair and break one of the legs off. I pick it up and try to do what I can, but I can't move that fast. I was never more relieved to see my brother or Daryl in my life. "What the hell are you doing in here?!" Daryl yells when he notices me. Rick is getting all the people down from the top level, Glenn and Daryl take the opposite sides of the steps, Ty, Carol, and Sasha follow behind them. I get people out of the cells and tell them to leave the blocks. I look over to where I last saw Carter and he's curled up in a ball, blood flowing from his foot.

"Carol! Sasha!" I screamed, they knew how to do the amputation that could save him. Something that one of the groups Rick brought in after Woodbury fell taught us about. If done soon enough, the person could be saved. Carter may not be the best person, but he deserved to be saved. Sasha came over to me. "Tyreese!" she yells, he comes over. Soon we have Carter on the bed. Ty goes back out and I sit by Carter's head as Sasha gets it all ready. "We have to do this now." Sasha says. Carter is silent, but he is shaking like a leaf. I grab his hand and hold on to it. "You'll be okay." I say as a scream rips from his throat as Sasha starts cutting.

* * *

I stood outside the cell as Carter was carried off to the infirmary. My arms were crossed but I was still shaking. It had been a very long time since I've been in a walker attack. The survivors of D were covering their dead while our main group were delivering head shots to stop animation. Merle had saw Carter when he was being taken out, but there was no reaction from him other than a short pause and a double-take.

Daryl walked down the steps and came over to me. "What were you doing in here?"

"I was gonna have class today. I came to get the kids."

"So instead of leaving when the gun shots rang out, you decided to stay?"

"Daryl I coul-."

"No," he grabs my shoulders and makes me look at him. "You should have left and got us. You could have been killed! You could have ended up like Patrick or Holly. Do you want to end up like that!?"

"Stop yelling at me. I can't deal with it. Not right now." I say back. I was too tired to fight with him, and I was too tired to deal with him yelling. I thought we were beyond this, beyond walker attacks inside the prison. Daryl looks so mad. He just shakes his head.

"Get out of here." he says as he walks back up the steps.

I wipe the tears off my face. I wasn't going to let him get to me, he was just upset. Upset and shaken. Plus I couldn't really get mad at him; he had a very valid point. I look up and see Carol leading Lizzie and Mika back into the block. I look at her and she mouths "their dad." I drop my eyes and take a breath as Carol leads them into the cell. He had to still be alive, but he had to have been bit in a place she couldn't cut off. Their voices were so quiet, but the higher pitch could easily be heard over the low conversation of the others on the top level.

"Dad?" Lizzie's voice suddenly grew a little louder. He must be a fast turner. "Dad?" Still nothing. "No."

"Come on, it's time." Carol says, I quickly push the curtain aside and see her leading the girls away from the bed. "You know what I have to do. What we're always supposed to do." Mika wraps her arms around me, but Lizzie is like a statue, she's still, her eyes locked on the bed.

"Come on Lizzie," I say putting my hand on her shoulder. "Let's wait outside." She heads towards the door for a half a second before she turns and grabs Carol's arm.

"We should be the ones." Lizzie says, reaching for Carol's knife.

"No." Mika says.

"Lizzie, you don't-." I say trying to stop her from having to do what Carl did.

"He's my dad!"

"Lizzie, are you sure?" Carol asks.

"Carol, she is not going to do this."

"She taught us how. I can do it." Lizzie says, and Carol goes pale. My mouth drops open.

"You taught them what?" But something that seems like a rustling comes from the bed.

"You have to do it now. "

Carol leads Lizzie to the bed. "You need to do it right now because you have to do it before he turns."

"Mika, go outside, right now." I say to her and push her out the door. I go over to Lizzie who is standing stiff by the bed. "Sweetie, you don't need to do this. Let's go. Right now."

"But he's my dad." She says, her voice breaking.

"I know, I know that. But this isn't what you need to do for him. Let's go outside. Okay?"

"But she said we needed to be strong enough to do this." Lizzie says looking at Carol.

"Well she's wrong. This is a job for adults. Not little girls. Come on. Let's go outside." I say, prying the knife from her fingers. "That's it. Let's go."

Lizzie wraps her arms around me and she starts crying. I knew she had asthma; I needed to get her out of here. I toss the knife to the ground in front of Carol. The thought that she had been teaching these kids how to kill was appalling to me. It was knowing things like that that almost took my nephew to a place he couldn't come back from. I wasn't going to let her mess up any other kids' lives. Mika grabs a hold of Lizzie as we walk out of the cell. She was just a little thing, but the way she took over, coaching Lizzie on her breathing was an amazing, if not heartbreaking thing to see.

* * *

I get the girls down by the fence line. Lizzie just seems to collapse, but Mika doesn't let go of my hand. "Sweetie, what did your sister mean when she said that Mrs. Carol taught you how to "do it?" Do what exactly?"

"Not supposed to tell. Mrs. Carol said that we would get in trouble if we told."

"No one is going to get in trouble, but I needed to know what she's teaching you."

"It's story time, we don't really-."

"Be quiet Mika." Lizzie says from the fence. "We promised we wouldn't tell."

"Lizzie, I need to know."

"No you don't. It has nothing to do with you." she says. The whole time she didn't look away from the woods beyond the fence line.

"Okay. I won't ask anymore. Are you guys hungry?" I ask, I know they haven't eaten anything yet, and I also know they need to be alone together.

I get up towards the pavilion and see Rick talking to Maggie, Carl, and much to my surprise Michonne. I went over to where they were at. "Patrick got sick last night.  
It's some kind of flu. It moves fast. We think he died and attacked the cell block. " Rick takes my hand when I tried to go over to Carl. "Look, I know he was your friend and I'm sorry."

"He was a good kid." I say, looking at Carl, wondering why Rick wasn't letting me go.

"We lost a lot of good people." Then he looks up at Maggie. "Glenn and your dad are okay, but they were in there. You shouldn't get too close to anyone that might have been exposed, at least for a little while. All of you."

I stay by Rick as they go inside. "Does Daryl know about his dad?"

"You're not gonna ask about the flu?"

"No. I have bigger things I have to deal with. Ryan is one we lost. Lizzie and Mika lost their father. I need to be with them."

"You need to look after yourself. With this flu you can't take any chances. Let Carol look after the girls."

"No." I say shaking my head. "She's not going anywhere near them."

"Kelly, I know you don't like her, but you need to put that aside right now."

"She's teaching the kids how to kill walkers and bitten people."

"What?"

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but-."

"Kelly, you can't just accuse her of something like that."

"Lizzie said that Carol taught them how. And Mika said something about Story time. They haven't straight out and told me, but from what they've said, it's not a hard thing to figure out. I'm not letting her hurt those little girls Rick. I won't let another child go through what Carl went through. Not if I can help it."

* * *

I cook four pancakes and I try not to watch as they start carrying the dead from the cell block. I knew so many people in there. I knew all of the kids, and from what I had seen, we had lost some kids. Eventually I would need to know who so I could take their school work and either give it to their parents, if they had any, or just burn it. When I was a teacher in the normal world I had only lost one student because of a car accident. It had been four years since before the walkers, and maybe three since, so at minimum its been seven years since that class. And I still haven't forgotten Vince Kemmith; I haven't forgotten him or that class. Just like I wouldn't forget the students I just lost.

I pile the pancakes on plates, toss from fruit and some syrup on top. I turn towards the main yard, Daryl is digging graves. He hasn't talked to me since yelling at me, but it wasn't his fault. He had more things to do, and to be honest, I didn't feel like talking to him anyway. I looked over to where I left the girls and I set the plates down and headed down to them as fast as I could. Carol was down there. I wasn't leaving her alone with the girls.

"That's life and death." I hear her say, I couldn't believe it, they just lost their dad and she was going to lecture them.

"He's dead." Lizzie says looking out.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But if you want to live, you have to become strong."

"Lizzie!" I say getting a few steps away. Lizzie turns to look at me.

"He's dead! He was special and now he's dead. Why'd they kill him? Why'd they kill Nick?"

"You're so stupid." Mika says, Lizzie just shakes her head and runs off. I stop beside Carol and Mika looks at her. "She's messed up. But she's not weak."

"Mika, there is food on the pavilion." I say, gently pushing her away. "I'll be up in a minute."

She runs off and I cross my arms and fix Carol with a hard look. "Do you want to tell me what that was about?"

"It was nothing." She says, turning around. I grab her arm and spin her back around.

"Don't you dare walk away from me. You stand there and belittle a child who just lost her father, and you have the nerve to tell me it was nothing!"

"If someone won't teach those girls what it takes to make it in this world than I will."

"That's not your call. You do not get to teach those girls, or anybody else for that matter, what to do in this world. If I ever hear of you teaching kids how to kill it will be you who will need the knife in the head."

"Don't stand there and threaten me."

"It's a promise. Its stupid shit like that that almost took Carl away."

"And it's not knowing things like that that can get people killed!"

Her voice almost turned into a shriek, and it was then that I got an inkling as to why she was doing this. "This is about Sophia isn't it? You think that if you teach these kids what to do that the same thing won't happen to them."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"God, you're dumber than I thought. It wasn't now knowing how to kill that caused Sophia to get bit. It was an accident. Just like what happened with Jim and Dale. Nobody caused it; it wasn't them not knowing what to do. It was the situation."

"Yes and the situation was everybody caring more about you than my child."

"Don't you dare go there! They were out looking for her very damn day. Daryl almost dies looking for her. So did Shane and Andrea when they went into that housing development. So don't you dare say that they cared more for me than her. Cause it's a damn lie."

"You just tell yourself that."

"I don't have to, because I know it's the truth. And here is another truth for you, if I even see you go near those girls again, I will make good on my threat."

I push past Carol and stomp up the yard. I felt on fire I was so mad. Was that woman ever going to let poor Sophia rest? She never talked about her like Rick, Carl, and I talked about Lori, yet Carol was carrying Sophia around like a heavy coat. And she was taking it out on innocent children who didn't deserve it. "Kelly, Hershel sent me to find you." I see Merle walking down towards me.

"Hershel has more important things to do than check my blood pressure. Tell him to leave me alone."

"I'm taking it your mad at someone."

"I'm not talking about it Merle."

"Well, I'm not letting it go."

I just ignored him and walked away. He, of course, followed me. I felt myself getting angrier at him. He needed to back off. I was about to turn and yell at him, but them a strange pain shot across my stomach. I immediately froze and hunched over. "Kelly?" Merle says, grabbing my shoulders as I bit my lip. The pain left, but there was a lingering sensation. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm okay."

"What happened? is it the baby?"

"Daryl! Rick!" Maggie's voice sounded panicked as she yelled across the yard. We look up and my eyes lock on to what has her freaking out. A whole group of walkers are pushing against a fence, there is so many of them they are bending the chains.

"Go." I say pushing Merle away.

"But you-."

"Merle, I'm fine, you help them." He hesitates, but he turns and quickly runs towards them.

I'm still hunched over as I make my way to the prison. I have three more shots of pain before I make it in. I'm out of breath and shaking by the time I get to the door that leads to the rest of the prison. "Hershel! Dr. S!" I yell down the hall, I feel horrible and I don't know what's going on.

"What's wrong?" I turn and see Beth standing with Judith.

"Get her back, where's your dad?"

"I think in the infirmary with Daryl's dad. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I think the baby." Another shooting pain has me hunched over and Beth sets Judith in her crib.

"I'll go get dad." She says, running down the hall.

* * *

In just a few minutes, Hershel and Beth are running back down the hall. They get me to Rick's bed and Beth grabs Judith, Hershel telling him to get her away from us. "When did they start?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

"Have you had any unusual pain today?"

"Just some back pain and a few Braxton Hicks."

"Was it more painful than usual?"

"A little. What's going on?"

"I think your baby wants to see what all the commotion is about. You're in labor."

"No, no, no, no. you have got to be kidding me! This baby has had several calm days to be born, and now that everything is going to hell it decided it wants to be born?"

"That's how it works sometime. Now you have to calm down. If you stay this tense you will not have a good delivery."

"Forgive me for not being calm and serine!"

"You just lay there and I'll go get Daryl-."

"No, no not yet. They're dealing with walkers at the fence line. Don't tell him until they're done. He needs to be focused."

"Okay. I'll wait. This is going to take a while, you're in for a long day and night girl."

* * *

Note: **Ugh. **My stupid self forgot that I saved Hershel's leg in Nothing Ever Last. So in the first chapter when I talked about the prosthetic leg, I have to go back and fix it. This reminder is for those who may forget, like I did, that Hershel still has his real leg so I had to explain the knowledge of the amputations somehow.

Hope everyone enjoyed this.

Next Chapter: The baby is coming! Carter wakes up, and we get ourselves a murder mystery!

Pretty Please Review!


	4. Chapter Four: My Job, Your Job

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **Ryan1441, Guest, doctor chocolate thunder, Dalonega Noquisi, Abby, Guest, mattsey22, kyolover16, HermioneandMarcus, Dean Winchester's Play Thing, sweetkiwi604, lorrainenicole, mrskaz453, TheMadnessWithin13, and DarylDixon'sLover!

**Thank You to the **47 favorites and 69 followers

* * *

Chapter Four: My Job, Your Job

"So how long is this going to take?" I ask as Hershel takes my blood pressure again.

"There is no way to tell. But since this is your first baby it will be a little longer than normal. But you're in good health and in fairly good shape, so we'll just play it by ear."

"Is it okay that I'm scared?" I asked with a nervous smile.

"I'd be worried if you weren't. Are you sure you don't want me to get Daryl? He probably would like to know his child is on the way."

"I know, but when I came in walkers were all over the fence-line, he's needed out there."

"Pretty sure I'm needed in here more." Daryl says as he walks in the cell. Hershel gets out of the chair beside the bed and leaves as Daryl sits down. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are what matters the most?"

"Let me guess, Merle."

"Yep, he and Rick are dealing with the walkers, so I'm all yours."

"What about the dead in D?"

"There are plenty of people to help with that. I'm not leaving you."

"Hershel said it could be hours, you'll be board before I reach 4cm."

"You making a bet?"

"Sure am, name the stakes."

"I'll get back to you. Like you said, we have hours."

* * *

Time passed too slow and it looked like I was going to be the one that was going to go crazy from the boredom. Minus the occasional contraction I was pretty much just laying there. "Just breathe. Squeeze my hand." Daryl coached as another made itself known. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes closed until it subsided and I relaxed. "That one was closer to the last one, about a minute and a half." Daryl says looking at his watch.

"Yay, we have progress." I say leaning against the pillow and closing my eyes. I laid still and tried to breathe like I had been taught, I wasn't doing a good job.

"Kelly, you have visitors." I open my eyes and see Rick and Ty at the door, Ty had two bundles of flowers in his hand. Daryl moved to the back of the cell and Rick sat down in the chair.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay; it's just the beginning, if I start complaining now I'm in for a long day. What's with the flowers Ty?"

"I was getting some for Karen, but when Merle Dixon was running around yelling that his nephew was coming I got some for you too." He says as he hands me a bundle.

"Aw, thank you." I give them a smell before I hand them to Daryl and he sets them on the desk. "I'll have them put in some water when I get a chance."

"No problem" he takes my hand and squeezes it. "I'll tell Karen that the baby is coming, she'll be excited. Good luck, I'll stop by later." Then he turns and walks away.

Daryl goes to get something to put the flowers in, leaving Rick and I alone. "Are you excited to be an Uncle?"

"I am, I just wish this was happening in a better world."

"I'm having this baby in the best place possible in this world, and it's all thanks to you. You made this possible."

"It was all of us."

"But mainly you. And I can't thank you enough for always taking care of me."

"You're my baby sister; it's my job to take care of you."

"So what's going on with this flu?"

"Really, you're gonna ask now?"

"As good a time as any, I'm just laying here."

"Right now they're just burying the bodies, we have Karen and David in isolation, and cell block A is quarantine for anybody else who starts to show symptoms. Right now the only person in there is Dr. S; hopefully it'll stay that way."

I looked up at the ceiling as what Rick said worked its way into my head. Then I felt myself panic. "Rick, the people who are at risk is anyone who was in D. I was there, I-I could have it. I could have it and-and my baby-." Rick grabs my hand and holds it tight.

"Whoa, calm down. Calm down, we don't know anything right now. There's a chance that Karen and David are the only ones who have it, and we have them isolated-."

"But there's a chance that we all have it. Rick, what are—what are we gonna do?" I ask pushing myself up into a sitting position.

"You need to calm down. Going into a panic is not going to help anything and it definitely won't help you with this baby-."

Another contraction bubbles its way to the surface and all thoughts of the flu went out the window. I groaned and tears fell from my eyes as it passed. I fell back down out of breath when it left. Daryl came back with the flowers in a soda bottle and a glass of water. "She have another one?"

"Ya, it was short." Rick answered as Daryl set everything down on the desk and sat on the edge of the bed.

"About the same as the last one. You want some water?" I shake my head no and wipe my cheeks. "You're okay." he says rubbing my stomach. "Do you need anything-."

"Rick!" Daryl was interrupted by the loudest hollering of Rick's name I had ever heard, and soon a very pissed and infuriated Ty thundered around the corner. "You need do come with me, now!" He says, his voice is rough, his breathing fast and heavy. Rick stands up to follow, and I order Daryl to follow.

"You have about six minutes before the next one; I'll be fine without you."

I pushed myself into a sitting position and swung my legs over the side, I wasn't going to stand up, but I did not want to spend all day on my back. Hershel came in a few minutes after Rick and Daryl left. "Do you want to stand up?"

"Am I allowed to do that?"

"If you have someone with you, where did Rick and Daryl go?"

"I don't know, Ty just came storming in here and demanded they go with him. Whatever it is he's pretty pissed."

"I'll go get Merle; his happy demeanor is rude to those who lost people today." Hershel turns to leave, but I stop him.

"Hershel, Rick told me about the flu, the one that killed Patrick, that caused what, happened today. He said that everyone in D was exposed, that means I was exposed."

"I know, but we don't know anything right now, we're going to wait and see-."

"What about my baby. What if I have it, I can't be around a newborn, not with some killer flu."

"I just said don't worry about it."

Hershel moves and sits beside me on the bed and wraps an arm around me. "I'm going to tell you something my father told me, one of the few pieces of good advice he ever told me. We all have jobs to do; we don't worry about anything else but our jobs. We don't get to be upset. Your job is to have this baby. Your job is to help further human existence. It's my job to worry about the flu. And if I feel that action needs to be taken I will. But that is my job. Let me do mine and you will do yours. Understand?"

Talking to Hershel was like talking to my father, I wouldn't be able to disobey him if I wanted to. I nod my head and lay my head on his shoulder. I still am afraid of what could happen, but I feel reassured that I, and my baby will be taken care of.

"I'm glad that we found each other Hershel." I say as I raise my head. "I didn't like you at first. You were too bossy for my taste. But in the end, I wouldn't trade meeting you and your family for anything."

Hershel just smiled and kissed my forehead. "You and your brother will have a place in my heart too. I wasn't to thrilled with you two either when you arrived at my house, but I think we found each other at the perfect time. Even if Carl's life hadn't depended on it, I know The Almighty brought us together for a reason." I was very upset when our moment was ruined when another contraction decided to hit.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

I had gotten Hershel to fix Rick up and left Kelly at Merle's mercy. For some reason I felt I had to go see Carter. He was still asleep from what I had gathered, but my brain just needed to see if what I had seen was really true. There was someone outside the door at all times, this time it was Bob, I nodded at him and went inside. The infirmary was quiet; Carter was strapped to one of the tables in case the amputation didn't work or he woke up and thrashed around.

He was still until the door clicked shut behind me, then his head whipped towards the door faster than anything I had seen. But the moment he saw it was me he turned his head back towards the ceiling. "What are you doing here?"

"If you want those straps gone, all you have to do is ask."

"I've been in tighter straps than this, this is a prison, I expected a tighter hold."

"Has anyone been in here to tell you what happened?"

"That I'm basically now walker bait, sure. It was a dandy talk. So glad your little woman let me live."

"She saved your life."

"She saved it so I could be left when this place falls." Then he moved his head back towards me. "And it will. Nothing good lasts."

I ignored my desire to just flip him off and walk away, but I stayed. I walked over and undid the straps across his chest. He pushed himself up and undid the one that lay across his knees. "Why are you here?" he asks again, his eyes not leaving the stump of his leg.

"Kelly is in labor."

"And I care why?"

"Maybe because she's having your grandchild, maybe because you're my father, maybe because she saved your damn worthless life."

"If my life is so worthless, why did she even bother?"

"If it would have been me I would have let you die. Let you die and then shoot you in the head." His chuckle just added fuel to the fire that was building in my chest.

"Do you think I'm kidding? You are worthless, a piece of shit excuse for a man!" he still laughs, I don't even realize until he's on the floor and my hand explodes in pain that I had punched him. "I wished she would have let you die! That way I could finally pay you back for all you did, finally do what I couldn't do as a kid!" He looked up from the ground, a sick smile on his lips, but it didn't quiet mach his eyes.

"If you hate me so much, why don't you just do it? Just kill me now. Not like anybody here is going to stop you. Hell, throw me to the walkers, let them dispose of my body so you don't even have to dig a grave."

And just like that my anger was gone. He wanted me to kill him. He didn't think he could make it now. And that didn't set right with me. I had never thought much of Carter, but one thing I had always learned from him was to be tough and never be a coward, never take the easy way out. And that was just what he was asking me to do for him. Help him take the easy way out, the coward's way out.

I just stood and watched him try and stand up, but he couldn't. I walked over to him and pulled him up and back on the bed. He immediately shrugged me off as he lay back down. "I'll let you know what we have." Then I walk out the door, leaving him alone. Just like he wanted, and just like he always would be.

Carter was nightmare from my past, and Kelly was the dream for my future. And she needed me, she wanted me. I would never let her down, or my child down the way that Carter had let me down.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

Night had fallen and I was getting very sick of this labor mess. Not only was the labor taking forever, but more people had gotten sick and what really broke my heart was the someone in the prison had murdered Karen and David. I had tried to go see Ty the moment I was told, but I wasn't allowed to by both Daryl and Hershel, and the fact my contractions were getting closer and more intense. "Daryl, I need to get up again. I can't do this." I say trying to push myself up, but I was so tired I could barley do it. Daryl caught me and pulled me into a sitting position. He wiped my face and fixed my hair so it was secured out of my face again.

"No, Hershel said no more walking."

"I don't care what Hershel said. It hurts Daryl, I gotta move."

"Let's roll you on your side-."

"I don't want on my side!"

As soon as I yelled I immediately felt horrible and I dropped my head in my hands as I started to cry. Daryl wastes no time to get at my side and wrap his arms around me. "I'm sorry." I say leaning against him. "I'm just so tired of this. I want this to be over."

"I know. Hershel said you were almost there. Just think about that. Think about finally seeing our baby."

"I wish he would just get here already!"

"He huh. You falling in with my brother? Well, you both are going to be disappointed when we have a girl." I laugh a little as I stop crying and wipe my eyes. I'm shaking and I'm sticky from sweat and the heat. I was moved from block C to what was the warden's office. This was so I could have privacy during the actual delivery and everyone could sleep while I was in agony. But even if I wasn't in constant pain, with Hershel, Maggie, and Rick coming in every five seconds I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

"Daryl, what if I get sick?"

"What did Hershel say?"

"I know what he said but-."

"No buts. He told you he would deal with it."

"Aren't you worried at all?"

"Of course I am. But there is nothing I can do about it. All I can do it help you now. I trust Hershel, and if he thinks the baby needs to be separated, he will. We still have plenty of formula left over from Asskicker. Everything will be okay."

"You remember what you promised me right? If something happens-."

"Kelly, stop. You are going to be fine; the baby is going to be fine. You just have to believe. I'm not loosing you, or the baby. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Lets get you back down." Daryl stands up and gently pushes me back on the bed, just in time for Hershel to knock on the door.

"How are the contractions?"

"I think if she doesn't drop the baby soon she's going to break my hand."

"It's a lot more fun making them isn't it." Hershel says with a smile.

"I don't think that fun is worth this." I say to Hershel as more pains shoot across my middle. Daryl looks offended. "Sorry Daryl, you're not good enough to cancel this out."

"I'm afraid this next part is the worst. You are ready to push; I just have to go get everything. Who all do you want to me to tell?"

* * *

Rick's PoV

My hands constant throbbing was a nice thing to focus on when all my thoughts were running in several directions. There was a killer in the prison, there was a killer germ in the prison, I had lost control again and punched out Tyreese, and now my sister was having her baby. Visions of Lori were flashing behind my eyes. But they weren't the happy images of when Carl was born, but when Judith was born. Her skin was hot with the fever that had already affected her body. Just one deep scratch from the walkers would kill you as fast as a bite. Then she had died the next day. I wasn't there when she passed, I was too angry, too far gone to realize what had happened.

We were all gathered outside, Maggie and Michonne were standing at the far corner away from us, being the only ones who weren't exposed to the flu. Glenn, Merle, and I were against the opposite wall. Merle was giddy as a school girl. He hadn't left Kelly alone all day, and he had a rare bottle of beer involved in a bet with Daryl over the sex of the baby. Kelly would be pissed if she found out.

I was surprised to see Carol was in the crowed gathered outside the door, but I think she was here more for in case Hershel needed assistance than concern for Kelly. Hershel had taught her how to do things for Lori in case something happened to him, so if something went wrong with Kelly it was good she was out here. Every one in a while a yell would sound through the door, Kelly was doing well for her first baby, but I also knew she was exhausted. Her emotions had been all over the place today, and it had taken more than a few pep talks and straight up threats to keep her in place today. Kelly had always thought more for others than herself. So staying still today went against everything in her nature. But she was going to have a baby; she was going to have to learn to put the baby first.

I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to get to hold the baby just yet. Hershel felt that since most of us had been exposed that we most of us would just get to see the baby through the window, Maggie and Michonne being the exception since they hadn't been exposed like the rest of us. But it was for the baby's safety, and I also knew I would get to hold him or her several times once the flu panic was over.

"Merle, you really need to stop doing that." Michonne said from her corner.

"Stop what, showing my love for my new nephew? Never."

"You just need to stop moving around, you're driving everyone crazy."

"You're the only one indicating a problem."

"You really are driving us all crazy." Glenn adds, his eyes not really leaving Maggie's. This was the longest those two had been away from each other in a very long time. So that was probably the bug that was annoying him more than Merle's pacing.

They continued to bicker, and it was a nice distraction from the tension and excitement we were all feeling. But there bickering was cut short when the sound of a crying baby filled the hallway. It was only then that Merle stopped his fidgeting and everyone fell silent. My heart froze, the cry kept on, but it lowered in sound. We knew the baby was here, but what about Kelly, was she okay? Was the baby really healthy? Boy or girl? We all stood a little taller when Daryl slowly walked out of the door.

There was a huge smile on his face; I don't think I had ever seen him look happier. "Well, what is it?" Merle asked.

"We have a girl."

The wave of happiness that filled the hallway was magical, when Judith was born; her birth was almost surpassed by all we had lost that day, but not this baby's. "Is Kelly okay?" I asked.

"She's fine, tired, but fine. As soon as Hershel cleans her up I'll hold her through the window." Daryl laughed and bounced on his feet. "I'm a dad." Then he turns and goes back in the room, leaving us all looking at the window. Waiting to see the newest member of our little group.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

I was so tired, but I couldn't stop looking down at the little baby in my arms. She was sound asleep, tired from the long ordeal and her first feeding. She was wrapped in one of Judith's old blankets and was wearing a yellow onesie. Hershel was long gone, back to bed. Daryl was lying beside me, one arm around my shoulders, the other holding the hand of our little baby girl. "We need to name her." he said.

"I don't know what to name her. Even though she's right here in my arms it seems unreal."

"I told you you'd be fine. Look at what you did."

"What we did." I say fighting off another yawn.

"You need to get some sleep."

"So do you, council meeting bright and early."

"Well, she's asleep, let's sleep with her." Daryl says as he stands from the bed. He gently takes our daughter from my arms. He holds her close to his face and his smile grows to extremes as he looks at her. We had both been told no kissing her until the flu thing was dealt with, we were lucky we even were able to hold her. "I told mommy you were going to be a girl. Yes I did." He says as he lays her in the old mailbox that Judith used to lay in. it takes a few more minutes until he's in bed beside me. I fall asleep fairly quickly, but with a new born, I was up a few hours later.

* * *

The following morning Maggie was in charge of helping me get up and going. She helped me sit up and change clothes, brought me food, and told me what was going on within the prison. The council meeting had just ended and since more people had come down with the flu they were putting people into isolation. My baby and I were in the warden's office, Beth and Judith were in a guard's office, the children were in a big meeting room, and Hershel was stuck with me or in another random office.

Rick and several others had popped by and I had to show them my baby through the window and I wished more than ever that this flu had never happened. I felt terrible that none of the people that had helped me through the pregnancy could even hold my daughter. I also felt bad that Daryl and I hadn't named her yet.

I was sitting in a chair rocking my baby when Daryl walks in. "Hey, what's she doing?" He steps up beside the chair and I hand her to him.

"She's just looking around. Admiring her new world. How's Merle taking the fact she's a girl?"

"He's more pissed he had to give me his beer than anything."

"Excuse me?" I ask raising my eyebrows at him; he bit his lip and looked sheepish.

"Yea…he kept saying we were going to have a boy so we made bet."

"You bet on our child's gender?"

"Oh don't even; we were in the process of making one before we got distracted."

"I wasn't actually going to go through with it." I say crossing my arms. Daryl rolls his eyes and talks to our daughter.

"Your momma is a fibber. Don't let her fool ya; she wanted you to be a boy."

"Don't tell her that." I say kicking at his leg.

Daryl walks around with her a few times before he hands her back to me. "We're going on a run." He says, but his voice sounds different than it does on a normal run.

"Where?"

"The veterinary college. It's at West Peachtree Tech."

"Isn't that over fifty miles away?"

"Yea, but we gotta go. Almost all of us were exposed, almost everyone in D have it, so does Dr. S and Sasha."

"Oh no. not Sasha." My thoughts went right to Ty. He was already dealing with loosing Karen. "I need to see Tyresse." I say standing and putting the baby in the mail box.

"No, you need to stay here." Daryl says blocking the door.

"Daryl, Ty is my friend; I need to make sure he is okay."

"And your health is at risk, and if you're at risk so is our daughter."

"I'll be fine-."

"No." he says putting his hands on my shoulders. "Your job is to take care of that baby. Tyreese is a big boy; he doesn't need you right now. He has enough going on. And you do too. Do you really think Hershel wants you up and running all over the place after last night? Those pain pills are in short supply, that's the only reason you're not hurting right now. You need to stay here. Where you're safe."

I sigh and wrap my arms around Daryl. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I know staying here is against your nature, but trust me when I say it's for the best." I nod and pull away from him.

"Who is all going with you?"

"Just Michonne and Bob."

"How's Carter?"

"He's awake, that's all I know."

"What about Rick, is he-."

"Kelly, everyone who isn't sick is fine. You don't need to worry about what's going on with this place. Rick and Carol will keep it running."

"You're not letting her by the kids are you?"

"No, the kids are all in isolation. Carl is on guard. Now will you calm down."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just…I feel in the dark here and it's driving me crazy."

"Right now you know as much as I do."

Daryl leads me to the chair and then he goes over to the box and picks up the baby. "I've been thinking about a name." he says rocking her in his arms.

"You are not naming our baby asskicker junior."

"That names already taken. But I was thinking Shayla. It was my grandma's name. She took care of Merle and me a lot." I roll the name over in my head a few times, and I really did like it.

"Shayla Dale Dixon. I like it." Daryl's face explodes into another smile and he starts babbling to the baby again.

"Shayla Dale Dixon, is that your name. Do ya like it? Huh?" I giggle when all he gets in response is a burp.

* * *

Note: Baby Boy Dixon only lost by one vote, it was very close. Lol

Yay for the baby finally being here. And we have a name!

Next chapter Rick continues his investigation, Daryl's on the run, and Kelly deals with an unwanted visitor

Pretty Please Review!


	5. Chapter Five: That Uneasy Feeling

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

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* * *

Chapter Five: That Uneasy Feeling

The afternoon heat was making the room almost impossible to stay in. the window was open and I wasn't getting more than a foot from it. The heat had been making Shayla fussy, so I was savoring the fact she was napping. But at the same time, I was bored. Daryl and his group had been gone for about an hour and a half, and I was trying not to think about it. There were a few walkers meandering around outside, but they didn't seem to be heading for the prison. A knock on the door draws my attention from the window; Rick was standing outside the door holding up a roll of white bandages. "I know I need to keep my space from her, but I can't do this alone."

I walk out of the room and savor the cooler temperature in the hallway. "We named her Shayla." I say taking the wrap from his hand.

"Shayla?"

"Daryl's grandmother's name."

"It's different. I think there was a girl in Carl's class named Shayla."

"You're thinking of Brent's big sister." I was referring to Carl's best friend. Carl and Brent were as inseparable as Rick and Shane were. "Did you get a chance to talk to Ty?"

"Yea, we're okay. He went on the run."

"Daryl didn't tell me that."

"It was kind of a last minute thing."

"Maggie said Hershel went into isolation."

"Yea, we tried to stop him, but he has a hard head."

"He's like grandpa, never one to just sit on his hands."

I finish wrapping his hand and I open the door and look in on Shayla."

"You're just outside the door, if she cries you'll know."

"I know. I just…I don't like to be far away from her."

"New Mommy Syndrome."

"What?"

"Lori was the same way, so was mom actually. I remember when they finally brought you home the hospital mom wouldn't go two inches from your side. And that's New Mommy Syndrome."

"You think I'm being silly."

"No, I think you're being a new mother."

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go take a quick shower, would you like to watch her?"

"I don't think I should-."

"Daryl and I both were exposed, if she's gonna get it she's already got it. Besides, you need Uncle Rick practice." I can tell Rick has been wanting to hold Shayla since the he first saw her. The way he looked at her through the window was proof enough. "Please, ten minutes."

"Okay. I'll watch her."

* * *

Rick's PoV

The heat in the room was the first thing that hit me. But the cooing that was coming from a familiar mailbox was the second and most important thing. I walked over to it and looking inside. Shayla was smaller than Judith was when she was born, and had less hair. I saw more Daryl than Kelly in her face. I wiped my hands on my pants, not like it would make any real difference, before I reached in and picked her up, held my niece for the first time.

She was so small, which was surprising considering how big Kelly had gotten. No hair, also surprising given the heartburn. But Kelly had never been normal, makes sense her daughter wouldn't be either. Her little blue eyes opened, but I could faintly see a brown ring around the outside. "Looks like you're gonna have your mamma's eyes." Throes same eyes seemed to lock on me, even though I knew it was too early for it to actually happen. "I'm your Uncle Rick. And I'm a lot better than your Uncle Merle. You'll meet him later." I moved and sat in the chair that was under the window. "Sorry it's so hot Shayla, if I ever get a chance I'll introduce you to air conditioning, maybe I'll treat you during your first car ride."

I watched with a smile as her little fingers opened and closed, she wasn't looking at me anymore, but at everything else around her. "I bet this is a strange place to you. So much bigger and more colorful than your used too. But this isn't the life anybody wanted for you. The life you should have been born into is long gone. All you will ever know of it is in stories. But I can promise you something, your dad, your mom, me, everyone here that you're gonna meet very soon, I promise we will do the best we can to make this world better. Better not just for you, but for your cousins too. I'll do the best I can to be a good uncle to you; I dropped the ball on being a father for the longest time. But I promise I will never disappoint you. I won't let you down."

I pulled my gaze from my niece and I thought about what I had learned. Carol had killed Karen and David. I hadn't told anyone yet. I didn't know what to do about it. In the old life the answer would have been simple, but these days nothing was simple. I couldn't just lock her up, kind of funny considering we were in a prison. Karen and David had been sick, but that didn't give her the right to take their lives. She had already caused problems, trying to get Daryl to run off after the farm, trying to take Daryl from Kelly entirely, this new development with the kids, she was a safety risk. A risk to everyone, a risk to my kids, and to this helpless baby in my arms. I look back down at her. "Uncle Rick promises to keep you safe, no matter what.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

Damn walkers. That's all that kept going through my head as I kicked another rock as we walked down the road. Not three hours out and we lost the car. If only I had been paying attention instead of playing with the damn radio. That voice, or whatever we had actually heard be dammed, we needed that damn car. At least Michonne had been smart enough to grab the damn map and we were walking in the right direction. If we didn't find a useable vehicle soon we would have to camp for the night and loose valuable time. Time I could be spending with my daughter. Not even a day old and I was leaving her behind. It reminded me too much of Carter that I saw red.

I wasn't leaving Shayla to get drunk, but to help people.

It was like a damn mantra in my head, but it didn't help much. I would much rather be back at the prison with her and Kelly than on this road. But we had stuff to do.

Ty was taking up the back of the group, he was an emotional mess and if he didn't get his head on straight soon I was gonna tie him up in a tree and get him later. Bob and Michonne were behind me looking at the map, keeping an eye out for possible towns. Another truck was just up the road, but like the past several cars we had passed I seriously doubted it would work. This trip was only fifty miles if we made a straight shot, well now we were taking anything but a straight shot. I puffed on another cigarette as we walked. Kelly hadn't been able to stand the smell so I had cut back even more than I had before, but I wanted one right now, and I was outside the smell wouldn't linger, she would never know.

"What did that rock ever do to you?" Michonne asks, walking up beside me.

"Found a town?"

"It looks like we're gonna have to find a place tonight. There is an old camp ground about ten miles up the road. We should make it before nightfall. Should be tents or cabins for us to stay in."

"The sooner we get there the sooner we can leave in the morning."

"You're worried about Kelly and the baby."

"They'll be fine."

"Doesn't mean you can't worry about them."

"Cant afford to be distracted out here. Kelly and Shayla are safer there than here."

"She finally has a name? About time."

"Yea, we named her right before we left."

"Does she have a full name, or just Shayla Dixon for now?"

"Dale, her name is Shayla Dale Dixon."

"Isn't that a boy's name?"

"It's after a man who used to be a part of the group, an older guy, younger than Hershel though. He and Kelly were close, that and the circumstances surrounding his death."

"Is this the same guy Andrea talked about?"

"Most likely. He looked at her like a daughter, even when she was pissed at him."

"Andrea didn't say too much about him, just sorta mentioned him in passing."

"Let me tell you a story about Dale and his stupid Rv…."

Nothing passes time better than a story.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

I felt so much better after my shower. But the long walk from the administration building to cell block A was sort of a long one, and I got tired very fast. I sat down outside in the yard and enjoyed being outside, after being cooped up in a room for two days, it was nice to get out. I looked out at the fence-line where Maggie and Merle were dealing with the few walkers that were on the fence. "What are you doing out here?" I jump and turn to see Carol standing behind me.

"Just getting some fresh air."

"You need to be inside. It's not safe for you out here."

"Carol, I'm just getting some air."

"You just had a baby; you need to stay close to her."

"Rick is with Shayla, if she needs me he'll let me know."

"The administration building is over there; Rick will have to drag her out here to get to you-."

"What is your problem?!" I ask standing up and stepping close to her. "Rick is a big boy, he has two kids, he has been a parent a hell of a lot longer than I have. If my child needs me, he will be able to get me without risking her life."

"I'm not trying to fight with you. Like you said, you haven't been parent long. You should take help someone else who has been a parent longer than you."

"You think you have been a better mother than me!? Are you kidding? If you are so great of a mother why did you let Sophia grow up with that pig of a man? Why did you let her be hurt by that man?"

"You don't know what you're talking about; he never laid a hand on her."

"You are so stupid! Even if I did believe he never hurt her, she saw him hurt you! That can hurt a child just as much as a physical blow. If you were so great a mother, you would have taken her away from that." Carol tried to interrupt me, but I cut her off. "And if you are so great a mother, you wouldn't bully newly orphaned children or teach them how to kill. You are a horrible person and a worthless mother. And I can tell you right now, if you so much as look at my daughter, I'll be seeing you on the other side of that fence with a hole in your head!"

Carol's face goes blank and her skin white. I was steaming again, there was just something about Carol that always set me off, but I had reacted almost violently the last few times I had ever been near her. Threatening her life both times. I quickly shook my head and walked away from her fairly quickly. I walked far away from her and went to the far side of the fence-line. There were no walkers on this side, so I could just look out into the woods and try to think about why I kept flying off the handle. I pulled at the grass and then threw it towards the fence line. Carol wasn't the only person who had angered me in the past, I had blown up at Daryl several times, Rick and Hershel had also gotten on my wrong side. Hershel told me it was just the pregnancy hormones, and while that may have been true; I wasn't pregnant anymore, so why was I still getting mad?

"I thought for a second we were going to have a lawn statue."

"Go away Merle."

"After that entertaining bitch fest, I think being alone is the last thing you need."

"I can always yell at you."

"You'd lose. Ask Daryl, I can win any fight, be it verbal or physical."

"You wouldn't hit me."

"Not unless you hit me first."

"And I'm not dumb enough to hit you anyway." I sigh and for the first time in several months I don't need help standing up. "I need to get back to Shayla."

"Let me walk you back."

"I'm okay, I need to go to the infirmary and get something for my headache."

"Then I'm definitely going with you, Carter is still in there."

"Okay, you can walk me; I really don't want to see him."

* * *

We go back to the cell block and Merle says he needs to go to the bathroom and get something he had found of Shayla. So I tell him I'll meet him by the infirmary. I get to the door and I lean against the door. The hallway is quiet, over half of the people we have in the prison are in A, the other half is in isolation, and the ones that are left are doing anything they can to keep this place going. Yet with all of these problems I was left in the dark, but I also had the greatest gift, I finally had my daughter. And once this stupid flu was taken care of I would take her out of the stupid office and let her see the world. She would see all of family and friends, she would always feel loved. I loud thump came from inside the room. I turned and looked at the door. Another sound and I called out Carter's name, only to hear a moan. Oh great, he had fallen off the bed.

I waited a few minutes for Merle, but he was taking forever, and several most noises had come from inside the room, and even though Carter was a horrible person, I couldn't just let him be stuck on the floor. I open the door and walk in. the infirmary had two rooms, the front room that had all the medical supplies and medicine, then the back room that had the beds and tables. I head towards the back room and when I push the door open all the beds are empty, yep, he had fallen off the bed. "Carter, we're gonna get you off the floor, just hold on a minute." I walk further in the room, but he doesn't answer back, probably being a stubborn jerk, too proud to except help. "Carter, stop being an ass, just take the free help." I get to the first bed and I freeze when I hear another moan, but this time it's not distorted by the wall, I can hear the actual sound. "Shit." I breathe as I turn to get back to the door, but I'm blocked by the crawling body of Carter, his face covered in blood. "Merle!" I scream as I quickly run to the back of the room and climb on top of one of the tables. Carter could walk, but he could crawl, but he wouldn't be able to get me up here unless he figured out how to use support to stand up.

He crawled towards me fast; his face was almost unrecognizable from all the blood. I kept screaming Merle's name, but if he was still in the bathroom or even in the cell block he couldn't hear me. I hadn't carried my knife in months, but I was going to start carrying it again, this was the second time I had been in close proximity with a walk without it. I tried to think of a way to get to the door, I could, in theory run past him towards the door, but if he grabbed me or even scratched me I would be done for. I get as close to the wall as I can, Carter's bloody fingers claw at the sides of the table, shaking it under my feet. I take my shoe off and slam it down on the fingers, but nothing happens but some squirting blood and his angrier growls.

"Merle!" I scream again, only much louder than I had previously. And my cries were answered when Merle, vary loudly, came thundering through the doorway. The sound catching Carter's attention so he turns and crawls towards him. I see a weird smile cross Merle's face as he walks up to Carter's body and plunges his knife through the top of his skull. But he doesn't stop at one; he keeps stabbing his head repeatedly long after his growls have stopped. I quickly climb down off the table and move over to him. "Merle, Merle stop!" I say grabbing his arm, but he keeps stabbing. I start to shake him, pinching at his skin. Suddenly Merle stabs again, but this time he leaves the knife imbedded in what was left of the skull of his father. He calmly stands up and walks into the supply room.

"Merle? Are you okay?" I ask following after him. He doesn't say a word, he just looks over the shelf of meds until he find what he was looking for. He walks back to me and hands me two aspirin. His arm is covered in blood. I carefully take the pills from his hand, but I'm not going to take them now. "I've been waiting to do that for years." Merle says as he sets the bottle on the counter. "I'm gonna go take a shower. You better get back to Shayla." Then he just walks out the door. He has a smile on his face. And he was acting like he hadn't just brutally stabbed his father's face into an unrecognizable mess.

* * *

I quickly make my way back to the administration building; I stop outside the warden's office to catch my breath, then soon the sound of Rick's singing sounds through the door. I get closer to the door so I can hear him better, a smile falls across my face as I recognized "Lullabee" a song from _The Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. _Rick had sung that song to me, Carl, and Judith. Good to know he was keeping up with tradition. I quietly open the door.

Rick is standing by the window, his shirt unbuttoned because of the heat, and he's rocking Shayla. Rick smiles at me and raises Shayla's head up. "Hey, looks whose back, its momma." He says as he hands her back to me. "Thought you were only going to be gone ten minutes, it's almost been an hour."

"I know, I'm sorry. I got side-tracked."

"By what?"

"I had another fight with Carol-."

"You need to stay away from her."

"I know that, she approached me-."

"No, you don't know. You stay as far away from her as you can." Something about Rick's voice clued me into the fact that something was wrong.

"I am not against staying away from her, but why are you all for it?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea, considering your history with her, being a new mom is hard, you don't need her to add to your stress." He says buttoning his shirt back up. I didn't completely believe him, but I knew I wasn't going to get anything else out of him. So I moved on.

"There is a dead walker body in the infirmary."

"Who is it?"

"Carter. Merle and I went in there to get me some aspirin-."

"Are you okay?" Rick interrupts me.

"I'm fine, Merle took him down. I think you should go check on him."

"Why?"

"Go look at the body, then you'll know."

"Okay, I'll bring you some dinner." Rick gives me a hug and wiggles his fingers at Shayla before he walks out the room.

* * *

Night falls and I'm sitting up in the chair holding Shayla. She's been fed and changed, so I'm just holding her, singing to her, telling her stories, or just spending time looking at her. She was amazing to me, a little mystery for me to figure out. She had a little birthmark on her right thigh; it was a few shades darker than her skin and looked like a half moon. She looked like she had no hair, but if I brushed my fingers over her head I could feel small, wispy threads, she looked more like Daryl than me, but it looked like she was going to have my eyes and abnormally long toes. I felt a little terrible that I didn't want her to fall asleep, because when she did I would be left alone with my thoughts.

Thoughts of Daryl being out on the road during the night.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

We reached the camp ground just in time to secure a cabin and set up a watch schedule. I took first watch and we forced Tyreese to a bed, I told him if he didn't sleep I was going to tie him down and knock him out. Now I was sitting out of the porch of the cabin looking out at the stars. I was so frustrated that we had to stop, but we hadn't found a car and it was too dangerous to travel at night on foot. So while the lost time annoyed me, at least we would be alive to bring the stuff back to everyone. And I would be alive to see my daughter again.

For me she felt like a dream. She wasn't on this earth longer than six hours before I had to leave her. And while she would not know, I did, and it was bugging me. I had promised her months before, back when all I knew of her was the tiny little bump, that I would be a good father to her, that I would never leave her. Yet here I was, away from her. Just like my dead-beat dad.

I wasn't leaving Shayla to get drunk, but to help people.

My mantra was back.

This repeating thing Kelly had taught me was really a cool thing that actually worked. I had been saying it to myself all day, and it kept my temper on level ground.

But I still wished I was at the prison, back with Kelly and Shayla. Kelly had needed me last night, and I was there to help, she would need me tonight, but I wasn't there. Kelly was going to bond with our daughter while it would be a little while before I could hold her. Kelly was probably exhausted, she had been very sore and tired this morning, she probably wasn't feeling too perky today. But at the same time, Shayla was a newborn, they slept a lot. Or that's what I had heard. I had no idea if it was really true or not. I hoped it was, so maybe Kelly's day wasn't as bad as my brain was making it.

For the most part my shift passed with only my thoughts causing trouble, I had shot two walkers that got too close for comfort, I would have to remember to get the bolts before he headed out in the morning, but as soon as Michonne stepped out on the porch I gladly gave her my seat and I went inside and dropped on the bed. I said a mental goodnight to my family before I fell asleep, fully aware they were probably already sound asleep.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

The morning sun was pouring in the room, but I had been awake long before the first rays had drifted over the hill. Shayla was throwing a fit and I could not figure out what was wrong. She wasn't hungry, she wasn't dirty, she was just crying. I knew babies did that so I wasn't panicking per-say, but I wasn't totally calm either. "Shayla please, you're gonna break my eardrums. What's wrong baby?" I ask walking around the room with her again, gently rocking her in my arms. My thoughts kept drifting to the heat, it was still hot in here despite the fact the sun hadn't been up in hours, it was summer in Georgia, it was always hot. It was cooler in the hallways, but the air wasn't as safe. And I automatically felt stupid for my thoughts, I had let Rick hold her and he had been exposed, so had I and Daryl. But for some reason, stepping out of this oven of a room seemed like a scary thing to do.

I tired a few more things, but Shayla kept crying, so I slowly walked over to the door and turned the knob, then I kicked it open, a soft rush of cooler air filled the room, and after a few minutes Shayla's cries softened until they stopped minus a few hiccups. "You're gonna be hot natured, also like your daddy. Are you going to have anything from me?" I ask with a pout.

"Yea, she's going to have several grown men wrapped around her fingers." Rick says as he walks down the hallway.

"What are you talking about? I don't have anyone wrapped around my finger."

"Please, I can count at least three."

"I think Uncle Rick is being silly."

"I can't think of another person that can get Merle Dixon to move furniture for no reason other than to make a room look better. And then not get mad when a bookshelf falls on him and sprains his ankle."

"I told him not to move the bookshelf. He did it anyway. Not my fault."

Rick takes Shayla from my arms and rocks her a little. "How is she this morning?"

"She just gave me my first real taste of a crying fit."

"Oh yea?"

"She was dying of heat-stroke. She's gonna be just like Daryl I swear it to you."

"Only a lot prettier."

"What are you doing over this way?"

"Wanted to see Judith and Carl. And to tell you I'm going on a run."

"Why?"

"Going to go look for anything that can help Hershel until Daryl and the group gets back."

"Who is going with you?"

"Carol."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I don't want her company, but I think she needs to be away from everyone. Even Maggie complained about her last night at dinner."

"Just be careful."

"Always." He hands Shayla back to me then he walks down the hallway.

* * *

I feel very uneasy all of a sudden. Rick hadn't been on a run in a very long time, suddenly he was up and going on one, and he was taking Carol with him. I didn't like it. It was too out of the ordinary. Carol never went on runs period, and suddenly it was her and not Maggie going? Something was not right. But there was nothing I could do about it. I had to stay with Shayla. And I had to trust Rick. He may not have been on a run in a long time, but he was smart and he could retain knowledge like none other. He would remember what to do out there like he had never left. He would be safe from the walkers. And he would be able to handle Carol is she was stupid enough to try anything with him.

I walked Shayla up and down the hallway; I heard Rick's car start up and then the sound of the gates opening. "Just you and me now baby girl." I say, realizing only Maggie and Merle were left running the operations of the prison. "Maybe in a few hours you and I can go see if we can help."

* * *

Note: Bye-Bye Carter, though you may be gone, we are still going to talk about you!

Next Chapter: Kelly's got some anger, new-mom, and suspicious feelings going on, Rick is off with crazy-gas lady, and we're gonna play around in Daryl's head a little!

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!

Pretty Please Review!


	6. Chapter Six: Hiding Behind Duty

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

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**Thank You to the **51 favorites and 74 followers

* * *

Chapter Six: Hiding Behind Duty

I paced up and down the office, only Shayla distracted me from my thoughts, but not for very long, I must be the only parent in history that wanted a difficult baby, because then I wouldn't spend hours in silence. But she slept on and I finally lost my patience. I went to the door and opened it, calling Carl's name. it took him a few seconds to come around the corner. "Are you okay?" he asks walking up to me, "Is Shayla okay?"

"We're fine kids, is Evelyn in there with you?"

"Ya, keeping the younger kids entertained."

"Can you tell her I need her to watch Shayla for me?"

"Why?"

"I'm getting cabin fever kid. Just tell her, please. Beth has all the formula; just get some from her if she wakes up. I'll be back soon." I walk away from his protests; I will not just sit on my hands anymore. Maggie and Merle were all that were keeping this place up, they needed my help.

My first stop was my cell, I put on my boots and grabbed my knife. It felt heavy in my hand; it had been months since I last used it, I really prayed I wasn't too rusty. I shoved a few beans in my mouth as I walked past the pavilion on my way down to the fence line, where Merle and Maggie were stabbing at a growing herd of walkers. When I was noticed, Merle was not too pleased. "What are you doing?"

"Helping." I say as I stab a walker with an old fire poker.

"Last I checked you had a baby."

"She's sleeping. Now you can yell at me and waste time, or you can shut up and finish killing these things." I was never happier to win an argument with Merle.

I think it was just the overwhelming sense of anxiety that made me almost frantic in my motions. I was dropping walkers faster than I ever had in the past. Too much was going wrong all at the same time. Daryl and his group had been gone a whole day, and Rick and Carol had been gone a few hours, there was a deadly sickness roaming our halls and the walkers were swarming our fences. Our happy escape was quickly becoming a nightmare, one I had brought a helpless infant into. I don't know how long it took, but soon the group of walkers on this side were gone, all piled beside the fence. When we got a chance we would have to clear them. But for now, Merle was dragging me up to get a drink and Maggie was going to check on her dad and Glenn.

I sat at the table and cradled my head in my hands. My arms were shaking and my head was pounding. "You don't look too good." Merle says, setting a cup down in front of me. "Maybe you should go inside and rest."

"God, that's all I've been doing. The past two days I've been in bed. I'm helping you. You need me."

"Daryl will be back you know."

"I know." I say lowering my arms and wrapping my hand around the cup. "I know he will, I just wish he'd hurry." I giggle a little, trying to lighten the mood. "Maggie looks like she's three seconds from falling apart, we can only fall one at a time. And she's closer than I am."

"I don't know, she still hasn't threatened to kill anyone yet."

"If we're lucky a walker will get her while her and Rick are out. Rid us all of her stupidity."

"Are you really saying that for us, or for you." I look up from the table and look at Merle, he was a lot smarter than he let on.

"I have to go check on Shayla, I'll be back in a second."

I wipe my hands clean as I walk back to the administration building. While my head wanted me to get busy and keep busy, my body was forcing to me to keep on a schedule. I walked down the hall and the cries of a baby seemed to echo off the walls, but I was surprised when they ended up being Judith's and not Shayla's. poor Beth, she was probably dying of boredom. I open the door to the warden's office and Evelyn is sitting in the chair reading a book. "Hey, how is she?" I ask closing the door behind me.

"She's okay, she's just up and looking around." Evelyn stands up.

"Do you mind watching her in a few minutes? There's some walkers on the fence and they need some help with them."

"No problem, just come get me. I haven't seen a baby in a long time. My little brother was about three when this happened. I haven't seen him since we were all in Columbus."

"Maybe you'll see them again."

"Maybe. Just let me know when you need me."

The door closes behind Evelyn and I go over to the mail box and smile down at Shayla. "Hi baby." I reach in and pick up. "How are you doing? Are you hungry?" she just makes a few cooing noises and I sit down in the chair. I rock her back and forth and look out the window. I laid my head against the wall and close my eyes. It was hot today, but there was a much better breeze coming through the window today. It felt nice on my skin. I yawn and keep rocking. This was a nice break.

My eyes snap open as my arms slack and Shayla goes sliding down my arm. I panic and tighten my arms again, but the drop had already startled her and her cries hit my ears. "Oh my god, Shayla, Shayla I'm so sorry." I hold her tight and secure, but she keeps crying, my heart is beating fast, I'm trying all I can to get her to stop, but she doesn't. and I couldn't blame her, I had almost dropped her. I wouldn't trust me either. I quickly stand up and set her down in the mailbox before I quickly head out the room, Evelyn was sitting in the hallway with Carl, but I quickly went by them.

As I walk all I keep thinking was that I almost dropped my child. She was twp days old and I almost dropped her! maybe I really wasn't up for motherhood.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

I had replaced several batteries, but for some reason this bitch was just being complicated. Bob was just leaning against the building, he had shied away from us taking Zack's car back at the prison, guilt could eat away at you, I had saw it almost destroy Rick, Bob didn't deserve to let his feelings fester. "You never told us about the group you were with before."

"Which one? You know, when you found me out on that road, I almost kept walking."

"Why is that?" His response is mixed with a humorless laugh.

"'Cause I was done being a witness. Two times, two different groups. I was the last one standing. Like I was supposed to see it happen over and over, like it's some kind of curse." He falls silent again, I glance over at him, his eyes are downcast, but I can almost see the gears grinding in his head before he continues. "But, when it's just you out there with the quiet….used to be I'd drink a bottle of anything just so I could shut my eyes at night."

Alcohol was the worst thing on this earth. It twisted people, even if they didn't actually drink it, it can still damage a person. As I messed with the battery and listened to Bob's story, I had to push back my own memories. My mom was the same way Bob is. Carter drank all the time, mom at night. Just so she could stand to lie next to the man, so she could close her eyes at night.

Our run-down trailer always smelled of booze. Hell, even the belt Carter used to dish out punishments seemed to smell of it. Merle did too, for the longest time after I got old enough to leave home and we lived together. But I never touched the stuff. I saw what it did, to the drinker and the people around the drinker. It turned Carter into an even bigger monster and it made my mom a ghost. One night she was so out of it she just sat there as Carter destroyed the kitchen, Merle and I in the process.

"Figured the prison, the people, thought it'd be easier. The run to the big spot, I did it for me."

"You gotta keep busy."

"No. I did it so I could get me a bottle." I forced my hands to keep going with their tasks. "Of anything." He continues. "I picked it up, I held it in my hand, but I put it down. I put it down so hard it took the whole damn shelf with it. That's what brought on the walkers, and that's what got Zack killed." I finally got the damn things in right. I looked up at Bob and all I could see was ghosts. He looked like Rick after Lori, just on the edge of being eaten up with guilt. We didn't have time for it now, and nobody deserved to go through it.

"That's bullshit." I say, his head snaps up, its obviously not what he was expecting me to say. But as much as I would love to stand here and talk feelings and shit, we had a job to do. "Why don't you get in there and try the engine? It's a red and a green wire." He hesitates, "Go on. It ain't rocket science." It's an instant relief when the engine starts up.

We all get in the car and I slide in the drivers seat, Bob is next to me, I look over at him, his mind is wondering. "Sasha and me picked that spot. We took you with us. There ain't no way anybody could've known." He looks at me, but I don't register his face, but my moms. The way she always looked at Merle and I after a bad night. The way she patched Merle and I up before she sent us off to school. I couldn't help her, but I could him. "You ain't gonna be standing alone, not no more."

We got on the road and the car fell silent, and I let my mind wonder off, I needed a clear head by the time we get to the school. I let the memories replay in my head. The first time I recall seeing mom that way, I wasn't in school yet, and Merle had kept me in the woods that whole night. when morning came he drug me back and the house was in worse shape than normal, she had a black eye, but she and Merle told me she had on too much makeup. They both worked hard to keep me from seeing the truth about our life. Too many times I just sat back and did nothing, I didn't tell anyone what he was doing, not even after mom died and Merle left, when it was just Carter and I. I hadn't done a thing. But this time I could.

And I would.

* * *

Rick's PoV

"How'd you put his shoulder back before? You learn that from Herschel?" I ask Carol as we grab some tomatoes from a plant that some housewife had probably planted for fun. I knew on the way here that I would not return to the prison with Carol. And becayse of that I felt I needed to get to know her a little more, understand her better.

"Internet. It's easier than telling an ER nurse I'd fallen down the stairs a third time."

"I'm sorry." And I really was. Her old situation hit too close to home for me, only Kelly had gotten out long before the world went bad.

"Don't be. Just fixed what needed fixing." She sits up and lets out a laugh. "I actually convinced myself I was happy with him. Which wasn't all that hard to do considering my idea of happiness then was just not being alone. Made a decent living. He was charming when he wanted to be, especially those mornings after he'd come home piss-drunk and Stupid." She goes back to picking the tomatoes. "I didn't think I could be strong. I didn't know I could. I already was."

I consider not saying anything, just moving on to the other things that was bothering me with her, but I felt I needed to say it. "Domestic abuse cases are a strange thing, some of the mind-sets victims of it have is unreal."

"Guess as a cop you saw a lot a of them."

"I did. But there was one case that hit home, it was personal."

"Who was it?"

"Kelly." I say and Carol stills her movement and she looks at me, confusion in her eyes.

"What?" she asks.

"I know, you wouldn't think so looking at her. but she survived it too. She met him in college, he charmed his way into her heart, turned her away from me, from my family. She did the same thing you did, convinced herself she was happy, that he wasn't a monster. She fixed what needed fixing."

"How did she get out?" She seemed genuinely concerned, but I had a feeling it was more out of curiosity.

"Shane and I got her out of it. We got sick of her avoiding us, went over to their house to see her, walked in on him kicking her while she was pinned down on the ground by the sink."

Then I gave a humorless laugh. It had been years since that day, yet I can vividly remember almost every detail. If I really thought about that day I could even still hear her screams, begging him to stop, then begging Shane and I to stop. "It took her longer to get over him than it did for you with Ed."

"He died. Didn't have much of a choice."

"Why don't you say his name? Even Kelly says Phillip's name."

"He's dead. Doesn't matter."

"What about hers? Why not your daughter's name." I finally ask what I've been wanting to ask her for over a year. Carl and I talk about Lori all the time, Hershel about his wife, Glenn his family, we all talked about those we lost. All of us except her.

"She's dead, Rick. Sophia. Ed." She brushes her hands on her pants. "They're a part of somebody else's slideshow."

She stood up from the plant. Her face stone again. She reminded me of Shane. No regret in her actions. But no matter the motivation behind her actions, what she did was still wrong. And when we got back Tyreese would demand and answer, then he would kill Carol. Then something would have to be done about him. Leaving her here would make it all easier. And it would make everything safer. If Daryl didn't get back, if we lost the prison, I didn't want her around. I couldn't trust her.

She had to be left behind.

Left behind so my family, so my home, could be safe.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

I carry the heavy jug filled with water to cell block A. I set it down outside the locked door before I walk over to the window that we could talk through. It was in the actual execution room that made me feel very uneasy. But Hershel soon came walking up on the opposite side of the glass. "What are you doing out?"

"Evelyn in watching Shayla, Maggie and Merle needed help. And I was just pacing in there."

"Your daughter needs you."

"This place needs me."

"Kelly, you're lucky I'm over here or I would thump you in the head. What has you so scared about being with that baby that you're running out on her."

"I'm not running out on her, I'm trying to keep this place going for her." he opens his mouth to reply to me, but something catches his ear and distracts him.

"I don't have time to fight with you. but you have from now until Daryl gets back to find a helmet. Cause I'm gonna thump you good."

"The water is outside the door. Is Lizzie okay?"

"She's reading "Tom Sawyer."

"That's a good book. Tell her Mika's okay. I'll be by later." I swear Hershel is already gone before I even turn around. He looked exhausted, but he was doing his thing, what he always did. He was being the rational one.

I head back outside and Merle and Maggie are dealing with another build-up, I grabbed my weapon and was on my way down to the fence when the sound of an engine cuts through the air. I focus on the road and then I run to the pulley when I see Rick's car coming up the road. As the car goes through the gate I only see one figure in the car. My heart speeds up, if Rick wasn't in that car…

I close the doors and turn just as Rick steps out of the car, and relief floods my chest. "Carl, Judith, are they okay?"

"They're fine Rick-."

"Glenn, Hershel, Sasha?"

"They're all still alive, it's bad. But they're fighting it. Daryl isn't back yet." He just nods and leans against the car. "Where's Carol? Did she finally drive you as crazy as she drove me?" I say with a giggle, but the look on his face when he looks up stops me.

"It was her. She killed Karen and David." He walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Should have listened to you."

"I didn't think she could do that."

"She was trying to stop it from spreading. Tyreese is gonna be back here soon, so I didn't think she should be here."

"Ty would have killed her." I go up to my brother, he needs to know he did the right thing.

"That wasn't my only reason for it." He looks at me. "I couldn't have her here. not with everything that's going on. Not with what could happen."

I squeeze his hand, he lets out a sigh before he starts heading back to the car. "She has a car, supplies, she'll figure it out. I'll tell Hershel, but nobody else needs to know right now."

"No problem. Rick, I wouldn't have brought her back either. You were right to send her away. Don't doubt yourself." Rick just nods.

"We don't get to anymore." He slams the trunk down when Maggie comes running over.

"Rick, the cluster's getting bigger than the one that took the fence down. We need to do something!"

"We will." Rick says getting back in the car and driving back to the prison. Maggie and I go back to the fence with Merle.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

There is this strange feeling that I always feel after I blow up at something. I'm still heated, but I don't feel like beating him to a pulp. Michonne and Ty were looking at the map trying to find us a quick route back to the prison, and Bob was being ineradicably smart in staying out of the car for the time being. I was calmly fiddling with the jade stone I had found, but I was anything but calm.

Bob had crossed a line, I guess that what I said before we got to the school just went in one ear and out the other. I don't get how Kelly can stand constantly putting herself out there for other people and always get let down but keep doing it. How many times had she put herself out there for Shane, only for it to end in disaster? But I know that she would do it again if she could. But I sure as hell wasn't going to stick my neck out for Bob anymore. He made his choice, and the bottle was it. And he was going to stay far, far away from Shayla.

I hate alcohol, and it sure as hell wasn't going to become an issue in the prison.

"…seven hours to get there." Michonne's voice sounded closer, I guess they made a decision on our route.

"We're gonna need more gas." Tyreese said.

"But we'll get there." I look up as they break and get in the car. It would be dark in seven hours. But we would get there.

"Taking Highway 100." Michonne says as she gets in the drivers seat.

"I heard." I straighten up in the seat and shut the door. Bob gets in behind Michonne, I contemplate throwing something at him. but I don't. hopefully he was feeling as guilty as I was feeling pissed.

We're on the road for an hour or so, the silence is tense, but it seemed like there was a lot of thinking going on, thinking from all in the car. "You were right." Michonne says, looking over at me. "About what you said before. About the trail going cold." She pauses and looks back at the road. "I don't need to go out anymore." I look over at her, and suddenly I'm not so angry. She was letting something go. something that major go. maybe I could learn from that.

"Good."

* * *

Kelly's PoV

Merle, Maggie, and I were cutting the trees we had stacked into posts. We were going to use them to prop the sagging fences up with them. My arms were burning, but I loved being busy. "How's Shayla?" Maggie asks as we carry another post to the truck.

"She's okay."

"Is she eating okay?"

"Ya." We shove the post on the truck and we get back to the pile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, I just want to get this done." I say as I grab the saw and start sawing a point. A few minutes later, just as we're all getting in the truck Rick comes down, pulling gloves on his hands.

"Going to the fence?"

"Yea, get in the back with me." I say as I climb up and sit on the posts.

We get to the fence line and the walkers are back, louder than ever. We all get out and start Merle and I work on one side and Rick and Maggie get the other. Rick has never been one to work in silence, that's why he always listened to his music while he played farmer brown. "I just talked to your dad." He says to Maggie. "He looks good, all things considered."

"If Carl were sick, would you be up there with him?" Maggie asks, she really did not like that Hershel was in block A, and I cant blame her.

"If I thought I could help." Rick says, kicking a post in place.

"You don't think I can help?" Maggie says, tying the upper part of the post to the fence.

"I didn't say-." Then Rick suddenly falls to the ground, but Maggie quickly chops off the arm of the walker that had a hold of his ankle. Rick chuckles as he stands back up. "Damn. I'm just glad you're out here with me."

The sun was getting lower, and I was very glad, it was getting cooler outside and making the work a little better. We're back to the wood pile cutting more posts. But a gunshot freezes all of us in our actions. I almost drop the post I had in my hand on Merle's foot. "Go." Rick says, looking at Maggie.

"The fence is more important. We need to keep it standing." Maggie says, but her eyes are locked in the direction of A block.

"I got this. You and Merle, go." They hesitate, but Rick yells at them. "Go!"

They take off in a run towards the prison. Rick helps me get the post in the truck. "I'm gonna go get Carl, can you keep sawing?"

"Yea, I can, are you sure you want to get him?"

"He'll be a lot of help. I'll be right back."

"I got this. Go on." I push Rick away, then I go back to sawing points on the posts.

* * *

Several minutes later Rick and Carl come running down the hill. "I got six more cut. Let's just get them loaded and we can set them up."

"Shayla's crying, Carl and I can do this-." Rick says, picking up a post.

"She's fine. Evelyn has her. You guys need help."

"Kelly-."

"Look, lets just get this done, then I can go see her. we have to get the prison safe."

We get everything back to the fence and we start propping the posts up again. "Think they're okay?" Carl asks, kicking the bottom of the post.

"If things were going bad, we would have heard more shots" Rick pulls on the rope.

"Or Maggie would have gotten us." I say handing them another post. "We have to do this." Rick moves to prop up another post, but then the post slips and Carl grabs it.

"All right, set it down." Rick says, then they get it pressed into place. Rick shakes it and it seems sturdy. "All right."

A snapping noise breaks the moment, we all turn and head over to the post that just snapped. "Rick, it's not holding!"

"I'll go get another post-." Another post snaps. Rick tries to drag another post from the pile to where the posts are snapping, but the walkers are squeezing against the fence, we all stab at several walkers, but as more posts snap the further in the fence folds in.

"It's coming down!" I grab Carl's arm and drag him away from the falling fence. "Rick! Run!"

"Dad, come on! Come on!" Carl yells.

We get in the base of the tower and Rick is running towards us, countless walkers behind him. When he gets in he slams the door shut behind him. he locks the door and Rick and Carl head out the other side as I stack several things in front of the door. Even though they'll probably go through the other dence.

"Dad, what do we do?" Carl asks as I come out of the tower.

"Maybe I could back the bus up against the fence."

"There is no way that'll hold." I say as we move back from the other fence, the walkers tearing at the end of the fence. Rick glances around.

"Come on."

He drags us over to where the guns and ammo were stacked up. He grabs extrea rounds and hands some to Carl and I. "Pockets." I shove several rounds in my pockets, then Rick hands us some guns. "Here. You got it?"

"Yea." Carl says, Rick drops down between Carl and I.

"Oaky, listen to me." then he starts showing Carl and I different parts of the gun, showing us how to use them. "Magazine goes in here." My hands copy his hands. "Release is here. Make sure it latches. Pull back the operating rod and rounds feed up. Keep squeezing the trigger for rapid fire, okay?"

"Okay." Carl says. We step up to where the walkers are about to come through the fence. He grabs Carl by his shoulders. "You shoot or you run. Understand?" Carl nods.

We stand tense, my heart is pounding. I had never been a good shot, and it has been a very long time since I've even shot a gun, let alone be this close to this many walkers with almost nothing between them and me. "Don't let 'em get close." Rick says. When they finally break through the fence I almost jump out of my skin. Carl and Rick's shots snap me back to life. I shaking pull the gun up to stance and fire off a few rounds.

The kickback is startling, but when several walkers hit the ground, I pull it again. They're pouring in, and suddenly I get angry at them. This was our sanctuary, our safe place. They weren't going to get any further than this. I felt completely different as I fired off the rest of my magazine. We took a few steps back from the hole in the fence, reloaded, and then started firing again.

* * *

Next Chapter: Daryl and his group get back! Merle is finally gonna see Shayla, Gonna deal with Carter's death, and is that the one eyed monster I see?

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!

Pretty Please Review!


	7. Chapter Seven: Facing Fears

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **Ryan1441, sweetkiwi604, and mrskaz453! You all are the best!

**Thank You to the **55 favorites and 79 followers

* * *

Chapter Seven: Facing Fears

My shoulder was aching from the kickback of the gun, but I ignored it as I trailed behind Rick and Carl, stabbing the fallen walkers in the head, very few of them actually needed stabbing. Merle had joined us not too long ago, telling us what had happened in the cell block, at least Glenn and Lizzie were still alive. I was surprisingly numb about the ones we had lost, among them the sweet Dr. S who was one of the many who had helped me when I was huge and winey. Now he, along with several other people I had come to love were gone, yet I didn't feel like crying. I felt the beginnings of another headache flaring up behind my eyes. I had a sick feeling I needed glasses, given my headaches and blurry far away vision. My vision had been blurry before the walkers, I was not surprised that it was coming to this. Maybe on the next run I could grab a handful of glasses and see if any of them helped. Maybe Patrick's glasses were still laying around somewhere.

Our fence line was decreasing in length as the days past. The first section that fell was only standing on a prayer, it wouldn't take much to bring it down again. This new section would be down until the morning, and these bodies would lay here until then too. It was too dangerous to do anything with them tonight. In the morning we would clean up and move on. Just go day to day, fixing what needed fixing and doing what needed doing. We had been living a relatively normal life until a few days ago. I guess when it rains it pours and the universe decided we were having to easy of a time in the apocalypse. If only Daryl and the group would get back. I needed him.

"Why don't you go check on Shayla. We can take care of this." Rick says walking up to me and taking my metal stick from my. "She wants to see her mommy." I think about protesting, but I know if I don't go I'll have to deal with Rick and Merle, so I nod and walk towards the administration building. My rotate my shoulder several times and dump some water on my hands as I walk past the pavilion area. My shoes were covered in blood, but I was pretty clean, just really sweaty. I didn't want walker blood on Shayla. I didn't want her around it period.

I hear crying as I enter the building, and I can tell by the pitch it's not Judith. The closer I get to the wardens office I can hear Evelyn trying to sooth Shayla, but not having a lot of luck. A look of pure relief crosses her face when I walk through the door. "Oh thank god. She won't stop crying." Evelyn quickly walks over to me and holds Shayla out to me. A feeling of dread crosses my mind. I was tired and shaky, what if I dropped her for real this time? "She wants her mom." Evelyn says forcefully. I have no choice but to take her.

Her weight settles warmly in my arms and her cries lessen. Evelyn quickly leaves the room, probably in search of some quiet and sleep. But I stand still in the middle of the room and look at my crying daughter. My legs are tired, I carefully and slowly walk over to the chair and sit down, I tighten my arms until I get comfortable. She's still crying. I do what Hershel and Dr. S. told me to do to check if she was hungry and she didn't seem to be. Her diaper was clean. She wasn't feverish. I felt myself panic, what did she need? Why was she still crying?

I try to stay calm, but my mind was racing. Was I really so bad of a mother that, not only did I almost drop her, but I couldn't stop her crying? "Please tell me what you want?" I whisper to Shayla, she was still crying, but the longer we sat here it seemed to be slowly stopping. "Do you like it when I talk to you?" Her little eyes open, her face is red and blotchy, her mouth still in an angry O shape. "I don't know what to do Shayla. I'm not very good at this." There was a stinging behind my eyes. "I'm your mom. I'm supposed to know what to do. I'm supposed to be able to make you happy and keep you safe. But I guess I can't. I'm sorry I can't do better. I'm sorry I'm not the mom you deserve, and that I can't give you the life you deserve. I'm so sorry."

* * *

Daryl's PoV

I felt immense relief when the prison came into view. Michonne stepped a little harder on the gas and I sat up straighter in my seat. The car ride had mellowed my temper towards Bob, and the fact that we were so close to home and he could redeem himself helped too. We were close to home; I was close to seeing my daughter again. I could finally hold her again.

Carl opens the big doors and Rick opens the second gate. My heart speeds up when I see the mess of the prison. Michonne doesn't even get the car stopped before Tyreese is out of the van and asking about his sister. Rick doesn't have any answers, not surprised considering how he looked and the pile of walkers behind him. Tyreese and Bob take off with the meds; Michonne goes down where Carl is coming back up the hill, I go over to Rick and Merle. "Is Shayla and Kelly okay?"

"I just sent Kelly back to the admin building. She's been out here almost all afternoon and night." Rick says. He looks exhausted, even now, after all this time, he doesn't look like the man I tossed a bunch of squirrels at.

"She's not supposed to be near anybody, Hershel has her restricted."

"Hershel's a bit preoccupied. He went in with the sick to help."

"I'll help here then I'll go see-."

"We need to have a quick word." Merle says to me, he glances at Rick. "You fine?" when Rick nods my brother walks towards the pavilion, motioning me to follow him.

"Are you sure this cant wait? Rick looks dead on his feet."

"It's about your woman."

"What about her?"

"She's about two holes short of her raft sinking into the ocean that's what."

"What?" I'm confused.

"She hasn't been right all day. She came down pretty early this morning, and she only checked on Shayla once, she didn't even go see her when Carl said she was crying. And when we were killing walkers at the fence she was way out of hand. Just stabbing over and over."

"She probably had cabin fever-."

"No, its more than that. Daryl, she didn't go check on her own child when she was crying. You need to go check on her now." Merle wasn't one for false concern, and I could see it in his eyes. If Kelly's behavior was so out there that Merle was calling attention to it, I knew I should check her.

"Tell Rick I'll be back."

"If you need me holler. She's having a rough time."

* * *

As I made my way to the admin building I was thinking about all the things that could be wrong. Kelly had had misgiving about the baby since the start of the pregnancy, and Hershel and Dr. S had warned me early on that given Kelly's tendency to react badly to major issues that the baby might mess with her emotions, and with the added nightmares she had been having they said it was an even bigger possibility. But they didn't say it was going to result in possible neglect. I angrily push that thought aside. Kelly was a good person, there was no way she would hurt our child, no matter her mental state.

There was crying in the hallway, it wasn't loud, but it was still there. I pass where Beth and ass-kicker were and it was silent inside, so the crying was from Shayla. I get to the door and I hear Kelly's voice over Shayla's crying. What I hear her say makes me both angry and sad. Why was she doubting herself? Shayla had been on this Earth three days and Kelly was freaking out about being a bad mother? It made no sense. Her last sentence about Kelly not being the mother our baby deserved had me inside the office.

Kelly's head turns and her eyes grow big. "Daryl, oh my god, Daryl." Then she's on her feet, Shayla tight in her arms, then she's flush against me. I wrap my arms around her, she's shaking and crying. Shayla's cries start to pick up as she feels her mother's distress.

"Shh, Kelly it's okay. I'm here." I say, not knowing what else to say. It has been a long time since I've seen her this upset.

"Okay." she says back, her voice muffled by my shirt and Shayla's cries. I hate to pull back, but I want to see my daughter. Kelly reluctantly pulls back, but almost gladly hands Shayla to me.

It feels like a lifetime since I've seen her, my eyes seek out any changes I might had missed, even though I know its only been two days and that she hasn't. She stops crying gradually. The longer I hold her the quieter she became, her face is beat red, but I smile when she lets out a huge yawn, her mouth growing to the size of her face. "Guess all the boo-hooing made you tired huh?"

"At least you got her to stop crying." Kelly says, she tucks her arms into her shirt and sits down in the chair. "She missed her daddy."

"Daddy missed her too." I look down at Shayla, her eyes are opening and closing. I look up at Kelly. "And he missed you. are you okay?" she looks tired, I cant remember a recent time that she hasn't. Ever since the CDC she has always had a tired look about her. but I guess that happened if you were constantly worrying about everyone else.

"I'm just tired, it's been a busy day." She stands up from the chair, "I'm gonna take a shower and change, you enjoy your daughter." She presses a kiss to Shayla's head and my cheek before she walks out the door.

I sigh as the door closes behind her. I was tired too. Maybe I should just leave her alone and see how she was tomorrow. Maybe a talk with Hershel or Dr. S. was needed. A little wiggle in my arms draws my attention back to reality. As out of it as Kelly seemed to be, she did give me some good advice. I had lost some time with my daughter, and while she would never know, I knew. I needed to make up for the two days I missed. So I lay down on the mattress that was still on the floor. I roll on my side and lay Shayla down next to me. I just stare at her, mesmerized by her. How could Kelly question herself with our daughter? Shayla was perfect.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

When I got back to the office Daryl and Shayla were sound asleep on the mattress. There wasn't room for me next to them, but I was okay with that. I was tired, but I didn't want to sleep. I had gotten a lot with the help of the pain meds, but I wasn't on them now, and I didn't want to miss watching them anyway. I sat down on the chair and was hit with something that felt like jealously. Daryl was able to get Shayla to sleep in less than five minutes, Daryl held her without hesitation, his face seemed to glow whenever he looked at her. and here I was, terrified I was going to hurt her.

I knew I wasn't the first parent to almost drop their baby, so why had that freaked me out so much? Maybe it was because I was supposed to keep her safe from walkers and I couldn't even hold her in a chair? Or guilt over trying not to get to attached while I was pregnant? Maybe it was feeling useless or like a burden? Hell, maybe a magical wizard messed with my brain while slept for all I knew. I didn't know why I felt fear around my own child. I loved her, there was no doubt about that, but I was afraid at the same time. I wish I knew what was wrong with me.

The sound of little cries jerked me out of my unexpected slumber, Shayla was hungry. She had woken Daryl up too. He sat up and pulled her into his arms and motioned for me to get by him. the mattress was pushed against the wall so Daryl sat up, his back against the grimy wall. I sprawled beside him, my back again his chest, and he handed me Shayla who was very enthusiastic about her meal. "I guess formula is nothing compared to the real thing."

"Formula?"

"She had to eat something while I was dealing with the walkers."

"Why were you out there anyway? Hershel told you not to exert yourself."

"I'm fine. No damage done, besides, Hershel was busy and Maggie and Merle needed help."

"Your brother was there."

"Not this morning he wasn't. He and Carol went on a run."

"Why?"

I looked down at Shayla, she was still eating, I brushed my fingers across her bald little head. I wasn't too worried with her right now, maybe if I stayed glued to Daryl's side for the next eighteen years I would make a decent mother. "She killed Karen and David." I say looking up at him. his expression doesn't change, his eyes just widen a little. "Rick didn't tell me details, just that he she killed them and he left her out there. With a car and supplies of course." I laugh, "No matter how crazy people get Rick always gives them a chance."

"Just like how you need to give yourself a chance."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Merle told me about what you've done today, and I heard what you told Shayla before I came in. Why do you think you're a bad mother?"

I told him everything that had happened since he left, I was worried that he was going to laugh at me or be mad, but I should have known better by now. Daryl just held me closer and told me that he believed I could do it, that I would make a good mother. He told me what Hershel had told him about me. and it looked like his prediction was true. I was a mess. "I just cant seem to do anything right Daryl." I say looking at Shayla who was once again asleep, her tummy full and her diaper dry.

"Maybe it's more of a fear that you're going to loose her still."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were pregnant, you refused to do all that tummy talk junk you were supposed to do because you were afraid that she wouldn't make it. And now that she's here that fear hasn't gone away. if anything it's gotten worse. Because she is here, and there is a chance we could loose her."

"But even before walkers there was a chance of loosing a child. Why weren't women running around afraid of their children then?"

"I cant answer that, this is my first one. Maybe talk to Hershel? He had two, maybe he can give you some advice."

He sighs when I look down at Shayla, I was so unsure of everything. "Look, all I can do is be here for you. and I will be. Me and you, we just have to do all we can to keep her safe, and I know we will. Even if we have to kill a thousand walkers and keep people away from her. we will keep her safe."

"Did Merle talk to you about Carter?" I ask after we get Shayla tucked into her mailbox.

"What, dumbass complain that I punched him?" I wanted to ask Daryl why he did that, but what I had to tell him was more pressing than my curiosity.

"He's dead Daryl. He turned."

"But you cut off his leg?" he asks, stiffening up.

"He got the flu. Merle and I went in to get me some aspirin and he attacked us. Merle did it." I sit up after Daryl sits in silence for several minutes, he was still, but his mind was whirling, I could see it in his eyes. He was trying to process how to feel.

"Is he buried?"

"Not yet."

"I'll do it tomorrow."

"Daryl, I don't think you need to see him."

"Why?"

"I just don't think you should. Please trust me. he doesn't look the same."

"We'll see." He rolls away from me and looks into Shayla's box. He stayed like that for a long time. I wish I knew how to help him.

* * *

I glanced down at Shayla who was laying awake in the body wrap sling as Daryl and I walked outside. We were all moving back into block C and I couldn't wait to be back. Beth, Judith, and all the kids had already left the administration building. Daryl and Merle had moved what little of my stuff was in the office to our cell. I couldn't wait for things to get back to normal. Daryl and I had talked a long time last night about my fears, he convinced me to talk to Hershel about them, and it sounded like a good idea.

I wasn't at the pavilion two seconds before Merle came over and quickly took Shayla from the sling and ran off with her. I rolled my eyes and started digging around for something to make for breakfast. Michonne, Maggie, and Merle had been carrying out bodies all morning. It looked like there was only a few trips left. Rick and Carl were down by the crops. All the people in A had the medicine and the ones that hadn't actually gotten sick were out and about. I was so happy to see Lizzie and Mika running around together again. Maybe the hard time was a reminder of how lucky we were, of how safe we were.

I settled on making pancakes again, I loved them. And it seemed like a good way to start the first day after the sickness. But I soon passed the job over to Katy before I ventured over to where Michonne and Daryl were loading more walkers onto the trailer. "Hey, need a hand?"

"We got it, where's Shayla?" Daryl asks, tossing a runaway arm on the pile.

"Your brother. Ran off in that direction." I point towards where the pig pen once stood. "This is what we get for keeping them apart for so long." I grab a leg and Michonne gets the other one and we pull the last body on the truck.

"You wanna come with me to burn them?" Michonne asks, brushing her hands together.

"I don't know-." I look at Daryl.

"Go on, give ya something to do while Merle is corrupting our baby."

"Don't let that man spend too much time with her." Hershel says, making his over to where we were all standing. "He'll make her first word be a curse word."

"Kelly and I are heading out, wanna come with us?" Michonne says from behind the wheel.

"I never said I was coming."

"Well make up your mind." Michonne says as Hershel climbs in beside her.

"Go on. The sooner you go the sooner you'll get back and we can eat." Daryl says, tossing his crossbow over his back.

"Okay. What are you gonna do?" I give in.

"We're gonna dig some more."

"If she gets hungry-."

"I know, go." Daryl says giving me a small shove. I roll my eyes and blow him a kiss. I squeeze in between Hershel and Michonne. I wave bye to Rick and Carl as we drive out the gates.

* * *

I'm hot and out of breath when we get all the bodies off the trailer and into another pile to burn. Michonne and Hershel get the gas cans while I drive the tuck up and away from where we're going to start the fire. We were going to be here for a bit, we couldn't just light a big fire and drive away, the last thing we needed was a forest fire heading towards the prison. I drive until Hershel motions for me to stop, indicating I was far enough away. I turn the truck off and step out.

I lean against the back of the truck and watch them set the bodies on fire. "We need some marshmallows!" I yell towards them.

"Only if you have chocolate and a cleaner fire." Michonne says as she walks up towards me. "I think there are some stale M&M's in the glove-compartment. I love those things." She walks past me, and I look back towards Hershel.

"Kelly!" and a sharp thud is the only warning I get before Michonne's body colludes with mine, knocking me to the ground. I scream when I see Brian standing above us, his gun pointed at Hershel.

"Shut up." He says, his voice level and smooth. My heart is pounding and fear is gripping my muscles tight. Michonne groans and sits up, she stills when Brian's gun enters her field of vision. My hand snakes to my knife at my side, he's not watching me. he doesn't consider me a threat. I grip the handle tight in my hand as he orders us to stand up. I roll over on my knees and as I move to stand up I lunge at him, my knife raised, but I don't get anywhere close. He easily catches my arm and shoves me back down to the ground. He angrily pulls my knife from my hand. "Good to see you too Kelly."

* * *

Next Chapter: The long awaited confrontation between Kelly and The Governor!

Daryl faces Carter's death, and the fall of the prison : (

Hope everyone enjoyed this short chapter, the next one is gonna be a long one.

Walking Dead finally returns Sunday! Cannot wait!

Pretty Pretty Please Review! They keep me motivated!


	8. Chapter Eight: Failure

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **DarylDixon'sLover, Mrskaz453, arrelmai, French Fries, Ryan1441, sweetkiwi604, HermioneandMarcus, 1lyndon, fangfiction6499, Ever, Abby, and my five Guest reviewers.

**Thank You to the **62 favorites and 96 followers

**Please Read: **I am so sorry this took so long to get up. School has been awful and thanks to all the snow the professors hit panic mode and that makes it all worse. Hope this makes up for the wait! Can't wait to see what you all think!

**Warning: **This chapter is a bit darker than normal, but it is a dark episode.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Failure

Daryl's PoV

I watch them disappear into the trees before I go off in search of my brother, he and I needed to deal with Carter, as worthless as he was, he was still our father. Merle wasn't too hard to find, a one handed, huge man stalking around with an infant in his arms muttering in baby talk was quiet the sight. "Hershel said I shouldn't let you around my daughter unsupervised."

"Why not?" he says, not taking his eyes off Shayla. "We've been having a great time, she loves her Uncle Merle."

"Language development."

"He don't know what he's talking about. She's gonna talk just fine."

"How about you go give her to Rick and we go take care of Carter."

"Let Maggie take care of him, I could careless if he was burred or burned."

"Merle, he was our dad-."

"And when the hell did he act like?" he asks, his voice raised and Shayla jerked in his arms. Merle gave her a little bounce then he lowered his voice. "If you want to waste time and energy digging and dragging for that asshole that's on you. I'm not wasting one more second of my life giving him so much as a thought." He turns and walks several angry steps away before he stops and turns back. "Don't waste your time on him little brother, he wouldn't give you half a second. He's dead, let him go."

Merle walks up towards the prison with Shayla still tight in his arms, I knew that a lot had happened between Carter and him, and at times I wondered if more happened than what I knew of. His attitude had always been ten times worse than mine as far as our father was concerned. More fights always happened when Merle was home, but I was also hurt less. I knew Merle had taken beatings for me, I knew he had gotten me out of the house several times when Carter was drunk. Maybe he had a point, why waste an hours of my time for a man who wouldn't waste a second of him on me?

* * *

Kelly's PoV

We get shoved into a camper trailer and the door slammed behind us. Michonne is bleeding from her head and Hershel was getting her to the couch to look at her. The rope that is keeping my wrists together is digging into my skin and my legs are too shaky to stand up on them. "Kelly, I need a rag or something to stop the bleeding." Hershel's voice sounds so far away, I'm still slumped against the floor, and I can't seem to focus on anything. But Hershel's face swims into my line of sight, his hands close over mine. "Kelly." He shakes me, "Kelly, listen to me!" another shake. "Listen to me, Kelly, now!" his yell finally clears the fog of fear in my head.

"It's Brian."

"I know, but right now we need to clean Michonne's injury, can you go look for water or a first aid kit?" I slowly nod and Hershel pulls me to my feet.

I feel along the wall on my way towards the back of the trailer, I'm still shaking, I still have to blink my eyes repeatedly to keep my vision clear, my heart just breaking as my mind fills with all sorts of scenarios that he could play out with us in his grasp. The back room has a big bed with fluffy pillows, it's probably a gazillion times softer than the cots at the prison, but all I wanted was to be back there.

I check the closet, under the bed, and on a self, I check the nightstand and almost jump out of my skin when it falls apart in my hand, the bottom on the drawer has a few tiny nails sticking out of it. I pick it up and look at it, I could hit him with it when he came in, but that would only deal with him temporarily and not his goons outside. I look up and gaze around the room. My heart speeds up as I stand and charge towards the window on the opposite side of the camper than the main door. I slowly pull the blinds apart and peer out, not a single person or camper, just the woods and a big dug out pit. I pull the blinds up and I feel some of the fear go away, this window was a fire exit.

"Hershel!" I say excitedly as I go back to where he and Michonne were.

"Did you find a first aid kit?"

"No, but I found a way to get out."

* * *

Daryl's PoV

"Daddy has someone who wants to meet you." it ad taken some doing but I finally got my daughter from Merle, but my time with her was short lived since I was taking her down to Carl who hadn't gotten to hold his new cousin yet. Him and Rick were hoeing the corn when I got down to them. "Someone wants to see professional farmers at work." I haven't seen Carl drop his tools any faster than he did as he eagerly came over to us.

"Is she awake?"

"Been with Merle all morning, you want her?" Carl nods and I hand Shayla over to him, Kelly needed to get the boy pinned down so he could get his hair cut, maybe she could do that when she got back. "She hasn't eaten since before her momma left, go see if she's hungry." He looks at Rick for permission before he slowly and gently walks towards the prison.

"How's Kelly?" Rick asks bending down and picking up Carl's fallen how. "She looks pretty bad."

"I don't know, before Shayla was here I could understand her issues, why she didn't want to get attached, but now? I don't understand it. Shayla's here, she's healthy, she's here, the prison is safe-but she still won't-."

"She doesn't really act like she's there?"

"Yea, just giving her away, it took me a long time to convince her to carry Shayla out here. I'm worried about her." Rick hands me the hoe. "I haven't farmed since I was a kid."

"Just don't hit the yellow stuff."

Rick gets to work; I stare at the tool for a few seconds before I join him. "I know you know about her relationship with Phillip Blake, did she ever tell you she's had been pregnant before?" I plant the hoe in the ground and look at Rick.

"She was?"

"Twice, once during and one at the end of that mess. The first one she took those pills, I didn't know about that one until several years later. But I knew about the second. She drank a lot after we got her out of that mess. She lost the baby. I found out at the hospital that she knew about the baby, but drank anyway." I kept my face blank, but my mind was racing.

How was that even possible? How could Kelly purposely do that? She was too kind for that, too straight. She was panicked when she found out about Shayla, but once we accepted what was going on she took precautions, ate right, and worked less. And now Rick was telling me she had purposely killed her child?

"I know nothing I can say can justify her actions, but look at it from her point of view. The baby's father was a monster, a monster with money and a lawyer brother. She wasn't right for a long time Daryl. If I could show you pictures of her from that time you wouldn't think they were her. She wasn't healthy in any sense of the word."

"How far along was she?"

"Three."

I grip at the handle of the hoe, no wonder she had such a hard time with Shayla.

"Daryl, she's different now. She would never hurt Shayla, she loves her. She loves you." he looks up at the sky and shakes his head. "It's sad that her life is almost completely better in the apocalypse than it was before. It took her a long time to deal with what she felt for you, just give her some time. She'll be able to let go of her guilt and look at Shayla without thinking about the baby she lost."

"I always have to give people time. No matter what is going on time, time, time. Time is all we have left."

I gave Rick back the hoe and I went to go find my brother, I was going to ask him about helping me with our father again. With or without him, I was going to give Carter the time he never gave me.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

"We can't all leave, that will push him into action sooner, you go." Hershel says after I told him about the exit. They managed to get my hands apart, the rope still clinging to my left wrist.

"But if we all go now-."

"We don't even know how far from the prison we are. Hershel's right. We need to stay, you need to go."

"I'm not leaving you here with him."

"You're in more danger than we are." Hershel says, flipping the ripped piece of my shirt on Michonne's head.

"Are you kidding? He's out for her blood; she's the one who needs to go."

"There isn't time to stand around arguing this. If you're going to go it needs to be now." Hershel fixes me with a look almost begging me to go. I look between him and Michonne, not wanting to leave either of them in his hands.

"I'm a better fighter than you," Michonne says reaching forward and tugging at the knot at my hands, I wished she could have loosened them. "You need to go. Now."

I stand up and look at them with a sad smile. "I promise you, I'll get you both out of this. I swear." I turn and head back to the bedroom, I pick up my broken board and slowly pull the blinds open again, still no one. I flip the lock and pull the stiff window open, each sound making me pause and listen for anyone. The screen is and easy fix because of the nails in the board, I easily cut the mesh out and all I have to do it get through the window and to the ground. I lean as far out as I can before I drop the board to the ground; the 'thud' it makes is made twice as bad when Brian's voice drifts from the other side of the trailer. I had to get out before he came in.

I swing my right leg over the window's edge before I push up with the other, my head hits the top of the trailer, but both feet are dangling off the outside. Brian's voice is getting louder. I grip the sides of the window as I lower myself out, the cut screen burns my palms and the outside of the trailer is hot from the sun. I'm still not touching the ground, even dangling out as far as I am, I have to just let go of the side of the camper. I close my eyes as I do, and bite my lip so I won't cry out when my feet hit the ground, sending a tremor through my ankles.

I quickly bend down and make a dash into the woods beyond the hole; I almost choke on the walker smell as I run by it. I get several feet into the woods before I stop to look at which direction I need to go. I position my body as if I were on the pavilion looking out at the forest; the sun would be on my right shoulder at this time, so to get back I have to keep it on my left. I wish I had paid closer attention to directions as we were being drug here, but I was in no position to pay attention to anything.

I didn't have time to get lost, I had to get back to the prison, back to Rick, before he hurt Hershel or Michonne, if I was too late I would never forgive myself. I promised both of them I would get them out safe, and I was going to keep that promise.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

Merle had refused again, I wasn't really surprised, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as I walked down the hall towards the infirmary. Kelly had said she thought he was still there, and a part of me was hoping she was wrong. She had also said Merle had gone too far in killing him, no telling what damage he had done. I get outside the door and there is a very unpleasant smell coming from behind the door, he was still there.

I had had every intention of going in there and getting him outside, but now that I was here I felt my resolve shake. What did I really owe to this man? He was never there, didn't even show for my graduation, even though Merle had stayed out of trouble long enough to be there. I slide down the wall and pulled my knife out. It was an old thing, picked it up last summer when we were scavenging houses, nothing special, but it had helped me do more things then my father had. "Thought you were going to do this?"

"Thought you weren't?" I ask my brother without looking up at him.

"I think it's a waste of time, but you believe it's important. So here I am." I put the knife and stand up.

"Where's Shayla?"

"With Evelyn." Merle crosses his arms and looks at the door, if this was going to happen; I was going to be the one who had to make the first move. I turn the knob and push the door open.

The smell was worse in the room where he had been for over a day. Now, I had a pretty strong stomach, but the sight of what used to be Carter's face made it knot. "Jesus, Merle."

"I saved Kelly."

"A single pass would have done that."

"Like I told her, I've been wanting to do that for a long time." I just stand and stare, a huge dark pool of blood is all around his head, the only thing left on his face I can make out is his nose, and that has a hole in it too. "I'll get something to wrap him up in." Merle says before he walks out the door.

I've seen dead people, see walkers, and saw Dale ripped in half, this was the only time I've had to force myself not to turn away, that was all Carter had done in life, turn away from what he had done. But this didn't look like him anymore. The haunting eyes were long gone, gouged out in Merle's wrath. "Why do I feel sorry for you?" I asked to no one, but I wished someone would give me an answer. I should be glad that he was gone, he had done nothing but cause trouble since he got brought back, the only reason he laid off Kelly was because Merle threatened him. But he had ate more than was rationed, slacked off on his chores, crossed Rick a few times, all he had done was cause misery!

I felt myself get madder and madder, I lash out and kick at the body on the ground, then a few more times before my foot hits the blood and I slip on it. I catch myself on a table and my heart is racing and breathing fast. "Feel better?"

"Why can't I hate him?" I ask Merle as I stand up and move away from the body. "After all he did, all he's done, why can't I just hate him like you? Would make this easier."

"Because you're not me, Little Brother. You always wanted his approval, wanted his love. Then mom died and you lost what you had, then I left, all you had was him."

"He freaking sucked."

"True, but like you told me earlier, he's dad." Merle stretches out the blanket in front of him. "He's our dad."

* * *

Kelly's PoV

I don't know how far I got before the calling of my name stopped me dead in my tracks. "I know you're out here Kelly. Come on out and this will be a lot easier for both of us." I swallowed and quickly looked for a place to hide, there were trees, but I hadn't climbed in months and I would probably fall. A few densely shielded areas were bad too because of walkers. I just had to outrun him. I had been moving at a diagonal line through the woods, wishing I knew exactly how to get back to the prison. "Even if you get back to them I still have Hershel and Michonne. And you're brother will want them back." He sounded closer than before; I couldn't let him find me.

I keep moving, and I cruse out loud when I pass a tree and a walker pops out from behind it. I grasp the board and swing it as hard as I can against the side of its face. The loud noises making my heart race more than the walker had. He was going to hear it and find me. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Kelly. All I want is the prison." He was so close now, if I kept going he'd catch up to me, I was slow and sore from having Shayla. My eyes scouted the land around me again; during my training with Daryl he had always expressed the importance of improvising and creativity. The tree the walker had hidden behind was big, and I was a little, littler than the walker I had just killed.

I press myself as much as I can against the tree and gripped the board tight in my hand. "I don't know how to explain this anymore to you. I'm not going to hurt you." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I didn't believe this murder for one second. But he was close. I turned my head side to side, looking for his shadow to see which side he would be coming from. "I get you don't trust me, but you have my word." He was near the tree, his shadow showed him on my left so I turned and held my breath; I took down that walker in two hits, if I could hit him in the right place-.

He enters my line of sight and I jump out and swing as hard as I can.

The board shakes in my hands and his cry of pain hurts my ears. I pull back to hit him again but he grabs it and hold it tight, I can't get it free. I kick out at his groin and I hit something and turn from him as fast as I can.

I get a few steps before something hard impacts with the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. I cry out as I hit the ground. I quickly roll over and see the board I had hit him with was what he had thrown at me.

Before I could even stand up he had me pinned to the ground, the side of his head bleeding.

"You and I are going to have a little talk." He says, his hand pressing my wrists into the ground, the rocks digging into my skin.

"Get off of me!" I yell, twisting and turning with all my might to get loose. I had to get free; too much was at stake if I failed. I kick at him, bending my knees and trying to remember what Rick, Shane, Daryl, and self-defense classes had taught me. I caught him on the back of the head a few times, my knee got his stomach and I got about an inch away before he grabbed me again, all my struggles stopped when his hand impacted the side of my face. "I see my brother's lessons didn't sink in enough."

My brain snapped back to the past, I saw the first time Phillip had ever hit me all over again. I had been as shocked and scared then as I was now. I blinked and I was back in the woods with the madman. "That's better." He says as I feel all the fight go out of me.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I already told you, I want the prison."

"Why though? What do you need it for?"

"Like I told Hershel before I discovered that you got away, there I people I need to protect, and the three of you are going to help me get it."

"Why not go back to Woodberry? Be the fucking Governor again!" his hand raised again and I used my free hand to punch him in the nose. He immediately covered his face and I wiggled out from under him. I got to my feet and moved away from him, he recovered and followed after me.

"Now I see why Phillip wanted you so bad, you were his challenge, his goal, he needed to break you."

"He failed." I yell back, we were in a weird game of cat and mouse now. In the struggle I had gotten turned around. I needed to go back the other way and the other way was blocked by Brian.

"He wouldn't have if big brother could have kept his nose out of it. Trying to be a man and save his stupid sister." He let out a cold laugh. "But from what Hershel says, he's changed, different. No longer in charge of the group. I find that hard to believe."

"He won't give you the prison!"

"But that's where you're wrong. If Hershel and Michonne won't get me in, I know you will. He hit the roof when he just saw you with a few bruises, how do you think he'd react if I sent a bullet through your skull?"

His question froze me in place, I knew he was a monster, but for some reason what he said unnerved me. "Or, if Rick is un-phased, what about your baby's father? What was his name again?" he froze and my heart was pounding so loud I swear it echoed in the trees. "Oh yes, Daryl." He laughed again. "Want to hear something funny, in the years you were with my brother, not a single baby. But a year with a redneck and you get one. If only my brother was here to see this."

At the mention of his brother a strategy clicked in my head. "You know what else funny? The fact you always said I was weak and Phillip was strong, yet who's alive in the world!? Who lasted the longest in a world were only the strong survive!" I wait a few seconds, maneuvering around tree after tree, trying to get turned around and not caught. "ME! It's me you stupid prick! I've lasted the longest!" Suddenly everything Phillip had ever called me came spilling out. "Your worthless, stupid, dumb, helpless, _weak_ brother couldn't hack it and ran into a pack of walkers!"

Right after I finally screamed out all my rage I ran, knowing I had pissed him off, and Michonne always said angry makes you dumb and dumb gets you killed. And him dying was what I was trying to get out of the situation. I got back in the direction I needed, but he was right on my heels, he had longer legs and if I had been fit I could have easily gotten away, but the pain in my head and pelvis was slowing me down, when his hand grabbed my hair and ripped it back I screamed in pain and defeat. He slams me against a tree a pulls my hands painfully behind me back. His voice is loud in my ears, causing my headache to increase. "The only reason you aren't on the ground bleeding from your gut is because I need you to get the prison. I told Hershel that I was going to do this peacefully. You cross me on more time and I will blow a hole in the fence and kill them all. Do you understand?" when I didn't answer he pushed my head into the tree. "I said do you understand?"

"Yes."

* * *

He kept his knife pressed into my back the whole walk back to the trailer, he ordered the man outside the trailer to watch from the roof and shoot of any of us tried to leave again. Then he pulled the door open and pushed me inside. My head hit the carpet with a thud as he slammed the door shut. Everything hurt and what was worse was I had failed. Hershel drops down beside me and gently calls my name. When he pushes me over and I see his face I feel even more defeated. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He wraps his arms around me and rocks as I try not to cry too loudly.

* * *

Daryl's PoV

We did it, Merle and I had finally buried Carter, buried him and all his baggage. He wasn't religious at any point, so we took a board and hammered it into the ground. We carved Carter S. Dixon down the plank and his birth year, neither one of us could remember his exact birthday. Hell I could barley remember my own now. "This is what was missing the first time we thought he was dead. Tossing his ugly ass in the ground." Merle says, kicking the cross one last time to make sure it was sturdy.

"I don't think this was a waste of time. It's over. Assuming I'm around 34, this is 34 years in the making."

"Add five years to that and I'm satisfied." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "He's gone Daryl, go see your daughter. You have until I get out of the shower to spend with her before I'm snagging her again." He looks at Carter's grave one more time before he heads back up towards the prison. I drop down into a crouch and look at the cross. Merle would never be up here again, so I took out my old knife and carved "Father" in tiny letters at the bottom.

A tiny remembrance for the tiny role he had in our lives.

I washed my hands before I picked my baby up from Evelyn, she was drinking down a bottle and I wondered what was taking them so long to get back. I started walking around the block just soaking up this time I had with her, where all was quiet. It never stayed quiet around here for long, so I was going to take what I could get. "When your momma gets back the three of us are going to have some family time, this is the first time since you've been born that there isn't a crisis. Isn't that exciting?"

I pull the bottle from her much against her will, and I toss her over my shoulder and bounce her and pat her back until a cute and loud burp fills my ears. "It's a good thing momma isn't here, she'd say that wasn't lady-like. But daddy doesn't care what you do, especially if it'll scare the boys off. The earlier the better." I pick the bottle up and put it back in her mouth, she gets several drinks then a huge explosion rocks the walls of the prison, I duck down and press Shayla close to me as dust falls from the ceiling. The sound and the sudden movement must have scared Shayla because her cries were replacing the ringing of the explosion in my ears. "Shhh, Shayla it's okay. Daddy's here." I sooth as I pop the bottle back in her mouth. I grab my crossbow and hand Shayla back to Evelyn before I join Maggie, Beth, and Carl running out the prison. Tyresse, Rick, and Merle are coming from the other side. Rick yells at us to stay back, but when we get to the fence we all freeze. Several cars, trucks, and people are by a portion of the fence, but it's the tank that has my heart speeding up just a little. "Rick! Come down here." I'd recognize that voice, it was the same voice that had ordered Merle and I to fight. The brother of the man that had hurt Kelly, the man that had almost made us lose this place. He was standing on the top of the tank yelling at Rick. "We need to talk."

The sun is blinding most of my vision, I put my hand up to block the rays, I also count who I see, thinking of any way to keep the fight turned in our favor. Rick's voice is gravely as he yells down at the monster. "It's not up to me. There's a council now. They run this place." There is no pause at Rick's statement, the Governor yells back at him again.

"Is Hershel on the council?" My brain stops, I barley register the sound of more of our people coming from the prison to stand beside us. The Governor makes a motion and a woman leads Hershel from the front seat of a red car. I hear Beth's breath hitch, and see her and Maggie move closer to the gate. I feel myself panic, Michonne and been with Hershel, so had Kelly. "What about Michonne?" He asks as a man leads her from the same car, I can feel her anger rolling off her from up here. "She on the council, too?" my heart was racing, and I felt my blood boil as he motioned to the car again. "What about your dear little sister Rick? She on there?" Kelly is lead from the car, Tyreese grabs Rick's shoulder and Merle grabs mine.

It was like my vision could zoom and was locked on Kelly as she was pushed to her knees between Hershel and Michonne. "I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick yells down, he sounds worse than he did before. He eyes were glued on Kelly and not the Governor.

"You're making the decisions today, Rick. Come down here. Let's have that talk." He wasn't kidding about wanting to talk to Rick; I just didn't think Rick had it in him to deal with this anymore. Rick looks at me, his face asking if it was the right thing, we all had someone to loose, as well as the prison. But as I figured the numbers in my head, we didn't have a chance if this went bad. Which it probably would.

Rick looks at Carl who is stone faced, but his eyes are watery. As Rick walks down I press closer to the group, my eyes never leaving Kelly's shaking frame at the bottom of the hill. "We can't take 'em all on." Merle says, his eyes still moving over the group.

"We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more." I say, thankful now that we had all those dam practice drills. "When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?" Merle asks, his hand still tight on my arm.

"Day before we hit the Big Spot. We were running low on rations then." Sasha says. "We're lower now."

"We'll manage." I say my eyes quickly shooting from Kelly to Rick then back to Kelly. "Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know." I tell Tyresse who asks "What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?"

"As long as we can." Or as long as it took me to get to Kelly.

I roll the laundry cart we have that's full of weapons and ammo close to where we were all gathered, Merle comes over as I load them up. "We'll get her out of this." He says taking a gun from me. "She's gonna be okay." I just nod and pass them out, only giving one to Bob when I see that he hasn't had a single drink. Rick is fidgeting around at the fence-line, Kelly is looking at him now, her head isn't at an upward angle. We all get in position, my sights set on the Governor, but my eyes on Kelly. I wished now that I hadn't forced her to go this morning.

But no matter how this was going to go down, I wasn't leaving without her.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

It was taking every ounce of self control not to cry. When the first blast to get their attention wiped out a guard tower I had screamed, we always had a person up there to keep watch. I saw everyone gather at the fencing at the top of the yard. They were blurry to me, but when they pulled Hershel from the car I blinked my tears away and I had been forcing them back since. When Rick came down the hill all I wanted to do was tell him to go back, he was too close. All it would take would be for the asshole in the tank to loose his temper and my brother would be gone. When Rick came down he didn't look at us once, and I know he did that so he wouldn't break, and that was Brian's plan. He needed Rick to break.

Brian Rick talked back and forth, Rick tried to talk reason, but it was going nowhere, he looked so tired. He still wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with this guy. At one point Rick as frustrated Brian so much he had Michonne's sword at Hershel's throat. Now I hated myself even more because I had failed earlier. I should have just shut up and ran, or tried to hit him again. Even though he hadn't escaped our encounter unscathed, he was still breathing and that was a problem.

The tank driver yelled at Rick, he reminded me of Merle when we first got him to the prison. Rude and bloody. But how Rick responded was close to magical.

"Look, I fought him before. And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here. A man named Merle was his right-hand-man, he's up there, leading, even after this man," he points his finger back at Brian. "Shot him in the stomach and left him for dead." Rick points at me. "She saved him; she risked her life so he could live. That's what we do here." he pauses to take a breath. "Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates you're one of us. Just like Merle, just like all of his people that he abandoned!"

His voice drops, filled with emotion as he continues.  
We let go of all of it, and nobody dies. Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive. But we can still come back. We're not too far gone. We get to come back. I know we all can change."

The air at the end of his speech was heavy, but not in a drowning way. Brian moved the sword from Hershel's neck, I glanced around me as much as I could, some of the people looked hopeful while others looked skeptical. Brian knew how to get a crowd behind him, but so did Rick. All it would take is one word and this would be resolved.

But the word we got was not the one I wanted.

"Liar."

His voice was so low, but I heard the malice behind it, and before I could even scream blood squirted from Hershel onto my face as distant screams filled the air.

* * *

Next Chapter: The battle begins! Where and with whom is Kelly going to end up with?!


	9. Chapter Nine: Fight and Flight

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. The amazing show belongs to the amazing Frank Darabont.

**Thank You to all my wonderful and awesome reviewers: **Abby, sweetkiwi604, Guest777, Ryan1441, mrskaz453, kyolover16, Dean Winchester's Play Thing, DarylDixon'sLover, and my two Guest reviewers.

**Thank You to the **66 favorites and 104 followers

Sorry about the length, but I have BIG plans for this!

**Warning: **A little bit of cursing. And some flashbacks that are important for an arc.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Fight and Flight

_"We need to go." I look up from my seat at my brother, his eyes aren't red like mine or dads, I don't think I've seen him cry since we got home from the hospital. Shane is off behind him, looking uncomfortable in the suit and tie._

"_I don't want too."_

"_I know, just one more stop Kel, then we can go home." He holds his hand out and I take it, pushing myself off the chair and following my father out the door, the white hearse carrying my mother's coffin is already started and waiting for us. We get in dad's car, grandpa in the driver's seat, Rick, Shane, and I in the back. Rick was right, all we had left was the cemetery, then it would finally be over. I curl up against Rick and try not to cry anymore. But the closer we got the more I lost my fight, no matter how much I tried to hold everything in, the car was filled with my cries anyway._

* * *

Everything was in slow motion, I heard screams from far away, heard my own scream, Rick's scream, and then a loud noise broke the fog, and when I woke out of my dream, I was under a vehicle, my head pounding as was my heart. I was pressed flat against the ground; I don't even remember crawling away from the fence. But if the sounds above me were any indication of the hell I was hiding from, I was glad I was under here. I wipe what I think is sweat off my forehead, but when I look at my hand I see its blood. I quickly wipe it off on the grass and drop lower to the ground. Not like I could get any closer.

I take a beep breath and try to focus; my hands were tied together, but somehow they were in front of my now. I start crawling away from the fence line, but I freeze when Hershel wiggles into my vision. I clap my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming, he s covered in blood, his eyes wide and unseeing. I crawl towards him, but stop short when a sword slices through the rest of his neck, his head rolls away from his body. I look away and throw up what little I had for breakfast. I turn back and I can't stop my cry as his lifeless eyes stare at me. I quickly crawl away from him; all I can think of is how I had failed him. That it was my fault.

I get to the back of the vehicle and I'm about to pop out when I see Brian, he is holding the body of what looks like a little girl. He puts a bullet through her head before he hands her back to the woman. Brian stomps away, the anger radiating off him in waves. The woman walks away, the dead girl held loosely in her hands. I hesitate on the ground, I had no weapon, and if I just ran out in the middle of this mess I'd die for sure. Hershel didn't have his weapons on him anymore, and even if I did I couldn't look at him again. I look out again as the woman stands at the edge of the woods, my brain goes into overdrive.

"_Always think about what's available."_

Daryl had always said that, in every training session he had,

"_Options, what's open is what will keep you alive."_

I had never asked him just where he had learned to fight, he had said something about needing to learn to survive, I think he learned to protect himself from his father.

I reach down and pull my belt free from my jeans; I wrap the ends around both my hands. Then I look around to make sure the cost is clear, or as clear as it can be. Then I crawl out from under the car and run as fast as I can towards the woman who was standing, looking down at the body. I brace myself as I tackle her from behind, tossing the belt overhead and around her neck. She gives off a tiny scream, but I pull the belt tight, my heart breaking even as I pull it tighter against her throat. "Give me your knife." I say, leaning close to her ear. She's shaking below me, but surprisingly, she's not struggling all that much. "I won't hurt you, just give me your damn knife!" she's still shaking, but her hand moves towards her belt, I pull the belt tighter, "freeze!" she does as I tuck both ends of the belt in one hand. I pull the knife free from its holder. "Get out of here." I say as I quickly tug on the belt hard enough to give me a head start if she fought back.

When I turn back around the tank is tearing through the fence line, Brian's people are advancing towards the prison. I can't run through the main collection, but two cars are still parked, I dive under a different one and crawl forward. There are two people knelt on the grass firing weapons at the prison. I steel myself as I creep closer; I grip the knife tight in my hand as I slam it down in the leg of one of the people. I rip it out as he screams and grabs his leg. I quickly roll out from under the car, and go around to the front. The one I stabbed is on the ground, holding his leg; the other is looking under the car. I quickly run forward and stab the uninjured one in the chest as I kick at the other one. I pull out the knife and grab one of their guns and I take off behind the tank, but I'm far enough back I'm not noticed.

The tank is going straight, but I know a way around that will get me to the front of the prison in a safe way. Take off, my heart hammering in my chest, hand hands shaking, and my brain alight with worry. I prayed that my family was safe. I prayed I could find them.

* * *

I get to the front of the prison in time to see a walker closing in on Daryl. I scream his name and he turns and stabs it in the face. He ducks behind his barrier and I run right to him. I fall against him, barley controlling my crying. "Oh god, Daryl!"

"Are you okay?" he asks, his crossbow digging into my back, but I don't care. I found Daryl. I pull back.

"Where's Rick? Shayla?"

"I don't know about Rick, but Shayla is on the bus with Evelyn, everyone is on the bus. That's where you need to be."

"No, I need to find Rick-." I say, trying to stand up, but he pulls me back down.

"Kelly, I'll find him. You need to get to Shayla."

"But Rick-."

"No! You're her mother, she needs you." he fixes me with a stare and I don't dare say no. I nod and pull him into another hug. "I'll meet you on the bus as soon as I find your brother and Carl."

"I'll be waiting." I say, I hand him the gun. "You need this." I lean in and kiss him as hard as I can. He pushes me away and stabs the dead walker again; he uses it as a shield as I run to where the bus was parked. I send another prayer that we'll all get on the bus safely.

I run on the bus and see Glenn lying in the front seat. I scan the whole bus, screaming, asking where Evelyn was. "Evelyn! Where is Evelyn!?"

"I saw her heading this way, she was in C!" a random voice yells at me, I turn back around and run straight towards the main doors, the closets route to block C. Bullets are still flying, I see Lizzie and some kids running towards the bus, Judith bouncing in the carrier between them. I yell at them to get to the bus as I continue towards the prison. I bulled flies by my head as I climb up the steps and run into the prison.

* * *

The inside looks calm, but the storm raging outside speeds my steps. "Evelyn!" I scream over and over, running from the main room to the cells. I start to think that I missed her somewhere when cries hit my ears. "Shayla!" I yell, I follow the cries into the hallway that lead to the rest of the prison. I almost tripped over the body that lay on the floor. "Oh god, Evelyn." I say, dropping to my knees beside her. She has Shayla in one hand, her other pressed on her belly.

"A bullet went through the window." She chokes out. I pull a crying Shayla from her arms. "She's fine; I pinched her so you could find us."

"Can you move? We have to get to the bus?" I ask, even though I know there is nothing we can do. Our only doctors are gone.

"Just take her and go. Her bag of stuff is in your cell on the bed. I'm okay." she says as she wiggles her finger into Shayla's palm. "She's the important one. She's the future. Get her out of here."

I lean over and kiss Evelyn's cheek. "Thank you. I'm so sorry."

"Go." she says with a smile. It was one of the hardest things I had to do to stand up and leave her dying alone in that cold hallway. But Shayla and I had to get back to the bus.

I hold Shayla tight in my arms as I run up the steps towards Daryl's and I cell. I round the corner and grab the bag, flinging it over my shoulder. Just as I turn to leave I freeze and go back. I grab my old backpack from under the bed. I toss in the water bottles we had laying around, some full, some half full, I toss our box of granola in, and I grab mine and Daryl's jackets. I sling my bag and Shayla's over my shoulder. Just as I run out the door I grab the old feather necklace Daryl had given me ages ago. I shove it in my pocket as run out of the prison. Shayla crying with each step. I was so scared and she was feeding off my fear, making her almost panicky.

I try my best to shush her as I run, but I know once I get on the bus with Daryl and everyone that I'll be calmer and I can do more for her. But when I walk out of the prison, the yard is quiet and the bus is gone. "NO!" I scream, running in the direction of where the bus had sat. "Come back! Please come back!" but it wasn't coming back. Shayla was crying as loud as ever and so was I. We had gotten left behind. Daryl had let the bus leave without me.

I feel the world spin as I try to think of what to do. I couldn't go back to the prison, I would be trapped there, and it would only be a matter of time until the walkers got in anyway. I had to run, run or die. Shayla was hot and heavy in my arms, I could run right with her in my arms, I needed to get her in a sling, I needed my arms.

I hold her closer to me and I take off in a jog along the bus tracks, I needed to find a place to stop long enough and organize the mess on my back and get Shayla in a safer position. She was exposed and I couldn't fight off a walker one handed. She was still screaming, and as I ran I sang to her, trying to get her to calm down, but she wasn't and I wasn't helping. Babies fed off emotion and my emotions were all over the place. But the main one was fear.

* * *

Merle's PoV

"God-damned-stupid-son-of-a-bitch!" I cursed as I swung my arm at another walker as I walked after the bus. "When I get a hold of that asshole that drove off I'm gonna kill him." I was absolutely pissed off, what the hell was this Rick's damn groups and leaving me alone to die? Screw him, and while I was at, screw the damn Governor and his posse of pussys. "Stupid-cocksucking-." My curses fall short as the sound of a crying baby hits my ears.

I blink as I turn and strain my ears to hear the sound.

"_You hear that?"_

"_Yeah, wild animals getting wild."_

"_No, it's a baby."_

"_Oh, come on. Why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining, too? That there's the sound of a couple of coons making love, sweet love."_

I knew that sound now; I knew there was a baby. I start walking towards the sound. Ready to kill anything that might hurt it.

* * *

Kelly's PoV

I got as far as I could before Shayla's screams came too much for me to handle. I drop everything on the ground, fall to my knees, and pull my shirt off; I hold Shayla like a football and bask in the silence as she latches on. I lower my head and close my eyes tight. I was so tired, but I had to keep going. It wasn't safe here. Not in the open. But I had to feed Shayla first, I had to calm down. Her cries would attract walkers, I couldn't take on more than two at a time and they would be coming in waves after all that sound at the prison.

A flash of pure hatred flies through my chest. No amount of curse words could describe my intense feelings of anger at Brian Blake for what he had done to my home.

"Now isn't this a sight for sore eyes!" I snap my head up, my hand curling tighter around the knife at my side, but I drop it in shock when Merle comes walking towards me. "Must say you look a might safer than the last time I saw you."

"Oh god, Merle." I say as I stumble to my feet and launch myself against him, jarring Shayla and she protests, but I cling to Merle. He holds me back, his metal arm hot against my skin. But I couldn't pull away. I couldn't move for Shayla because I was filled with relief and joy. I wasn't alone after all.

Once I had composed myself enough to pull away, Merle had wasted no time in having me finish with Shayla while he combines the two bags I had into one. We then worked together and fashioned a wrap for Shayla out of Daryl's coat. She was nestled in the makeshift sling as Merle and I walked down the road, heading for the meeting point that the bus was supposed to be waiting for us. I walked as close to Merle as possible, my eyes constantly moving across the land and through the trees. We would find the bus. And we would be safe.

* * *

**Next Chapter**: Merle and Kelly are alone with baby Shayla! And we get to mess around in crazy Merle Dixon's head a lot! Learn more about our fav crazy redneck!

**Please Read Note:**

**First thing**, sorry about the lateness and the time. I needed to see how the season was gong to go before I made my final decision about who Kelly ended up with, and since I'm still in the air I just decided to stick her with Merle and make it up as I go.

**Second**, I would like to know if you want me to explore the other's minds in this story. Like pop over to Daryl and poke his brain, or Ricks. Let me know what you think.

**Third**, I have huge plans for this story now! And I will try to get chapters up quicker, I am making this up, so I am asking for patience, and I will make the chapters longer.

Hope you all enjoyed this!  
Pretty Please Review!


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